A Familiar Stranger
by ladyamalphia
Summary: As Tails is finally beginning to grow accustom to life with a child, things seem to be working out of the best. Until Cosmo's daughter meets a friend seemingly too amazing to be true. Sequel to Child's Play.
1. Chapter One

**EDIT (December 22****nd****, 2008): **Hello, friends. Ladyamalphia here to preach. I finished this… _lovely… _piece of literature last March. It sickens me veerry much. Please, for everyone's sake, turn back now. This story is going to be a waste of your life x). Trust me, I would love nothing more than to just… delete/douse with gasoline and set aflame… it. But I couldn't do that, because of the many magnificent – though undeserved – reviews I received :). If you're looking for something to read, let me suggest one of my other, less sickening stories. Anything but this.

Please… press the back button…

No?

Don't say I didn't warn you.

--LA

**A/N: ** Yes, that's right… Hina is back and… umm… plant…ier than ever :D! Hoorah! For anyone who hasn't read Child's Play, **I strongly suggest you do before you read this one**… The link's just below. And heck, while you're at it, you might as well write a nice little review :D! I'm really not too sure of the rest of the plot of this one… this chapter's really more of an introduction to what Hina is like after her little transformation-magig at the end of Child's Play. By the way, this one starts off about a month after Child's Play… so Hina is still a cute baby :P. As I'm sure I have said, I have a horrible sense of time… so I couldn't say how long it's going to be. OH! And before I forget… A classmate and I had an… ahem… rather loud discussion regarding my writing. It ended in a small bet regarding what age people would guess that I am based on my stories. I bet that they would guess too young, and he said too old. So if you wouldn't mind taking a guess if (coughwhencough) you review I'd really appreciate it! Without further ado, I present to you A Familiar Stranger.

Child's Play: .net/secure/live_?storyid=3672327&chapter=1

Teehee… The only character I own in this chapter is Hina. And if you touch her without my permission, I will send my scary narwhale army to your house and they'll bomb it with narwhaley… narwhaleness!!!!!!!... Pardon me. Please enjoy the story.

Hina gently patted the loose soil around a tall fern. There was something extremely significant about this small action, and the evening air was filled with a distinct aura of conclusion. This simple act ended an era, for this fifteen-foot high fern was one of the very same overgrown house-plants which had crowded Tails' workshop only weeks earlier. It was the final plant to be relocated into a large empty lot beside Tails' home. What was once desolate and scarce now resembled a thick jungle. Hina got to her feet and brushed the dirt off of her hands and knees. Although mere months before, her entire life had been completely contained in a single seed, she was now just over two feet tall, and had a long, heart shaped face. Her hair was the same length and shade of sea green, and homed two beautiful pink roses which were adorned with shining silver rings. Her dress had stretched until it covered her ankles, and she had sprouted nearly all of her baby teeth. Although the icy blue broach on her chest had neither repaired the thin crack on its surface, nor grown along with the rest of Hina's body, it still shone and radiated a thin light whenever a room was completely dark. She looked sadly up at Tails.

"We're done."

Her vocabulary had inexplicably increased during her growth spurt. Tails knelt beside her with a smile.

"Good job." He whispered, gently brushed a speck of dirt from Hina's cheek. He hugged her, and then got back to his feet.

"Thank you." They were silent for a moment, until Hina spoke again. "Can I come visit them sometimes?"

"Of course!" Tails laughed, lifting Hina onto his shoulders, even though she was much taller than when she was a baby. For some reason, however, she had barely seemed to have gained a pound. He carried her easily the almost hundred meters to their home. He placed her down when they reached the front door.

"Mipro," She asked. Her voice was still high-pitched and adorable. Tails was happy that her name for him had remained, even though Knuckles was no longer "Nun", and Cream was Cream. Tails really liked that Hina had a special name for him, and it made him feel extremely parental. "What was Cosmo like?"

With a sigh, Tails pushed a button, and the large doors opened to the ceiling of the tall room. This was the umpteenth time the small girl had asked that question, and it still pained Tails to answer. The plantless workshop seemed empty and lonely without its previous floral inhabitants.

"It looks big!" Hina stated, here voice echoing. Luckily, she had been completely distracted from her question.

"It certainly does." replied Tails, smiling at the awestruck child. Despite the fact that she had learned some new words, Hina was still a little girl at heart. She then led the way into the kitchen confidently. Even Tails had to admit that it was strange to walk straight across the workshop without having to dodge a singe branch or bough.

"Ready for bed?" Asked Tails with a yawn. Hina shook her head violently.

"No, Mipro! I need my snack!" she insisted. A snack before bed had been part of her daily schedule for so long that it seemed as necessary and unavoidable as the sun rising. "And let's play the worm game!"

"Aright." Tails laughed, walking to the pantry. He grabbed a handful of long, raw spaghetti noodles and picked a ruby-coloured apple from a basket on the counter. "What kind of bird are you today?"

"Peep! Peep! Robin! " Hina giggled, opening her mouth and tilting her head back to be fed.

"Alright, little birdy." Tails said, slicing the apple into eights, then sixteenths. He took the noodles and snapped them into several pieces each. "Today the worms aren't cooked, so we're gonna break them up. Kay?"

"Peep?" Hina said, cocking her head as if she didn't understand English. She tilted her head and opened her mouth wide, keeping happy eyes on Tails. He plopped the brittle pieces of spaghetti into her mouth, where she happily chewed them, enjoying the cracking sound each bite made. When the worms had been devoured, Tails placed a sweet apple slice on Hina's tongue.

"Here come the beetles…" He laughed, and the insects slowly decreased in number until Hina was happily chewing her last beetle.

"Ready now?" He asked, after Hina swallowed the mouthful. She nodded, and stretched her arms out on her sides. This was just another part of the tiny family's nighttime ritual; a little bird, of course, needed to be flown to her nest. Tails lifted her above his head with both arms, and Hina flapped her wings fervently, trying to keep in the air. He carried her to her bedroom- a former guestroom- and dropped her on the squishy bed which was laden with stuffed animals and frilly pillows.

"I need my nest!" She laughed, snuggling into the covers.

"Of course!" Tails replied, sinking into a bow. He hopped beside her on the bed and bunched the blankets, pillows, animals and comforters into a ring to make a nest, just big enough for a sleepy bird. She crawled into the crater, and Tails tossed a final blanket on top of her. She snuggled herself deep into her nest until she was almost completely buried by her ocean of comfort.

"Nightie night, Mipro." came her muffled voice from under her mountain of bedding. "I love you."

"Sweet dreams, Hina." He answered, with a sleepy smile. He flipped the switch of the child's nightlight. It was a strong light tinted blue, and was adorned with a beautiful amethyst and quartz daisy which cast purple and white splashed on the soft pink walls. Tails tiptoed to the door, and quietly switched the main light off. Careful to tread quietly, he made his way back to the workshop. He walked across the room, shuddering slightly when he passed a certain table which a forensic investigator had informed Tails took the life of a mouse who had broken into his house in an attempt to kidnap Hina a month previously. He locked the door with a yawn, taking a casual look out the window as he made his way to bed. To his surprise, there was a sports car parked in front of the empty lot which homed Hina's plants. Two figures were evidently deep in conversation and often pointing out at different places on the lot. After a moment, both got into the car and drove away.

With a causal shrug, Tails left the workshop thinking about Cosmo.

"Am I doing a good enough job?" he said aloud, staring at the ceiling. He desperately hoped that Cosmo would have though that he was doing a satisfactory job. He wanted her daughter to have the best possible life that he could provide. A nasty voice from the back of his head sneered indignantly.

'she nearly died after a month of you taking care of her!'

Tails frowned at his mirror reflection, realizing that the debate in his head had carried him to the bathroom. He snatched up his toothbrush and angrily scrubbed away, and then took a hot, steamy shower which calmed him. The optimistic part of his brain finally piped up and defended him, replaying Hina's words.

'I love you.'

**A/N: **There ya go! Chapter ONE! :D! Please remember to review, and thank you _ever so much _for reading! (if you couldn't tell, I've been obsessively watching Alice in Wonderland lately). Please review!!!

--LA


	2. Chapter Two

**A/N:** Chapter two :3! This might be the last update for a while; my parents and sibling are going to Winnipeg for the weekend, and I'll be staying with a friend… and it wouldn't be polite for me to be my usual shut-in self when I'm a guest ;)! I might be able to fit another chapter in before Friday… but you never know!.. I'm such a loser xD. Thanks for making it through the first chapter. And if you didn't read Child's Play like I told you to in the last chapter, this one is not going to make too much sense to you.

--LA

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You know the drill. My ownage of characters is limited to no more than Miss Hina. The others are belonged to by SEGA… I thinks. Sorry… that was fun :D

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"Mipro…" Hina whispered excitedly. Tails opened a sleepy eye to see a blurry green figure looming above him. Half asleep, he mumbled a thick good-morning and peeked over at the digital alarm clock beside his bed, the glaring red numbers fuzzy at first. 

"Hina." He groaned, throwing himself back down on the pillow. "It's six AM!"

She didn't seem to have heard him, and continued eagerly.

"Can we go see my trees?" She asked, tugging at Tails' hand while he fought to keep his eyes open.

"Come back in an hour or two." He mumbled.

"No!" Hina whined, pulling his arm with all her might. "It's morning!"

Tails sighed. He was simply not awake enough to argue any longer.

"Alright." He yawned, sitting up. "But we're going to bed at seven-thirty tonight."

Hina, who had not yet learned the concept of time, nodded fervently and hopped off the bed.

"You go into the kitchen and I'll be there in a minute." Tails told her, rubbing his exhausted eyes. Hina grinned and skipped out of the room.

It had taken Tails nearly a week to decide whether he liked Hina using her powers on a daily basis. He had decided that it would be best for her to first learn the regular ways of movement, and then perfect her supernormal strengths. He also wasn't certain if it was completely safe for her to fly using the cracked gem as a power source. He hoped that, if left unused, it could, perhaps, heal itself.

He pulled on his left shoe, and slowly made his way to the kitchen where Hina was patiently tapping her fingers on the wooden table.

"Good morning." She giggled, walking to the doorway.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow down." Tails laughed, taking a seat at the table. "Breakfast first."

Hina plopped back down into her chair, looking put-out.

"Alright."

"What'll it be?" He asked with a drowsy smile.

"Can you make me some toast, please?" She asked politely.

"Of course I can."

Tails sliced a loaf of rye bread and slid two into a shiny metal toaster. He took an unopened package of bacon from the refrigerator and dropped its contents into a large frying pan. The cheerful sound and smell of the sizzling bacon made Tails feel much more awake. Hina scrunched up her nose and pinched it with her fingers.

"Eww! Mipro, smelly!" She exclaimed, covering her face with both hands. Tails smacked himself on the forehead.

"I'm so sorry Hina." He said. He had completely forgotten about Hina's hatred of meat; she couldn't stand the smell, taste or even sight of animal products. The toaster popped merrily, and Tails scooped the toasted bread onto a plate, buttering it quickly.

"Go take your toast into the living room." He told her apologetically, handing her the plate. She hurried out of the room, leaving a guilty Tails alone. He was upset with himself that he had so easily forgotten about Hina. He quickly finished his own breakfast and joined Hina in the living room, where she was sitting cross-legged on the couch with her food on her lap. She smiled at him sadly through a mouthful of toast.

"I'm really sorry." Tails said, sitting next to her. She swallowed, and smiled.

"It's okay. Can we go now?"

"Alright, let's go." Tails chuckled, taking her plate. They took a detour through the kitchen on their way to the workshop to drop it off in the sink. Hina ran ahead as they made their way through the crisp morning air.

"Good morning!" Hina shouted, dashing around with her head tilted back. Tails shuddered as he imagined her crashing into one of the thick stems.

"Be careful!" he called, jogging after her. She stopped suddenly in her tracks and jerked her head to the side, facing a fern which seemed to be dwarfed compared to its surrounding plants.

"Rosa!" Hina exclaimed, sounding worried. She knelt down beside it, staring at a leaf with sickly yellow edging up from its tip.

"Rosa?" Tails said, perplexed, when he arrived beside her. "Who's Rosa?"

"Her!" Hina cried, pointing to the slightly wilted plant as if it was obvious.

"Rosa is a fern?"

"Yes!" Said Hina in disbelief. She looked wildly around.

"Alvin too!" She exclaimed, jumping to her feet and dashing over to a stooping grapefruit tree whose leaves were falling to the ground.

"And Regina!" She was frantically shooting from the grapefruit tree to a gray-looking sunflower. She now had miserable tears running down her cheeks.

"Mipro," She whimpered, "what's wrong with them?"

Tails shook his head slowly, lifting her into his arms. His heart fell to his stomach when he noticed a large can of rat poison lying open beneath an extremely sickly palm tree.

"Hina…" He said, choosing his words carefully. She looked at him with teary eyes that tore his heart to pieces. He felt a stab of cold fury towards whoever was careless enough to leave such toxic poison in a garden. "I think they're pretty sick."

She looked heartbroken.

"We can fix them, can't we?" She whispered, clinging to her last strand of hope.

"I don't think so." It killed Tails to break this news to her. He had the dirty responsibility of informing a baby that all of her childhood friends were dying. Hina burst into tears, and clung tight to Tails chest, squeezing as hard as she could. After a moment of open sobs, she relinquished her grip and fell. Tails yelped, and tried to catch her, but a misty cloud beat him too it. Blinded by tears, Hina soared up above the tree tops where she hovered in mid-air.

"Hina!" Exclaimed a terrified Tails. "Come down!"

She didn't answer, only flew a few feet higher. Tails watched her as she went, all the while terrified that she would suddenly drop out of the air.

"Please," He pleaded, dashing into a small clearing to get a clear view of the air. She shot out of sight. A moment later, a sleek sports car pulled up alongside the lot.

"Here it is, Miss Kyro." Said a deep voice as Tails saw a large red hedgehog stepping out of the driver's side. He walked around the car and pulled the door open for a slender, salmon pink squirrel.

"Thank you." She said in a light French accent, her razor-sharp heels stepping onto the sidewalk with coinciding clacks.

"I came by last night." The burly hedgehog said, eyeing the lot with mild disgust, which disappeared the moment Miss Kyro turned to face him. He gave her a charming, clearly bleached smile. "Those trees should be out in a few days, and it'll be perfect for building."

"Great." She said, smiling with perfectly strait teeth. Her hazel, mascara laden eyes glittered in the sun. "When can I pay?"

The hedgehog- evidently a salesman- looked as though Christmas had come early.

"Just as soon as we get back to my office."

"Wonderful!" she exclaimed, eyeing the lot happily. "It will be perfect! Felix will love it."

Their voices were muffled as two doors slammed shut, and the car drove away quickly. Tails watched it go helplessly, knowing that they had every right to poison the trees. He assumed that whoever owned the previously empty lot had decided to sell it, and the hedgehog was a real-estate agent and the squirrel was his customer. It depressed Tails to know that they were completely guilty, and yet guiltless. He dreaded informing Hina.

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**A/N:**Sorry about the end :P I was lazy. And never mind what I said at the beginning about another update before Friday… writing this one took longer than I had guessed. Unfortunately, I'll probably not be able to respond to your reviews (hint-hint)… but I will by Monday. Anyways, thank you for reading and please review!!! 

--LA


	3. Chapter Three

**A/N:**I'm sorry I was really slow writing this one :P… I didn't even start until like Wednesday because I've been pretty busy with school work. I'm doing a report on Walt Disney, and a "Novel Appreciation Report" on a book called Lullabies for Little Criminals, by Heather O'Neill. Amazing book… I loved it!!! Go buy it now :D!... ahem, after you read this and give me a wonderful review, that is. Why are males so much more difficult to draw?!?! There is like only one girl in the entire freakin' book, and I have to draw ten characters! Stupid, curveless men. I would ignore everything I say if I were you… I think I've been daydreaming to an unhealthy extent lately.

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Wow :) The list of characters I own has grown to the breathtaking number of… two! faints. My massive list consists of Hina and Miss Kyro… who is still a bit of a mystery ;)!

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"Hina," Tails called, his teeth chattering. He could see the little ball of her form wedged into a joint on a tall grapefruit tree. She twitched her head at the mention of her name, but didn't turn or answer.

"Come on, Hina." He pleaded, rubbing his numb hands. It had taken Tails what felt like several hours to locate tiny Hina through the forest on the empty lot. He needed to squint to see properly, but he noticed that she was shivering violently.

"I'm gonna come get you, okay?" Tails said desperately, spinning his twin tails to lift him into the air. He hovered beside her, and grabbed, gently tugging her quaking arms from around a thick bough. She finally relinquished her grip on the branch, and slid into Tails' outstretched arms.

"It's alright." He whispered, cradling her tiny body in his arms. He quickly flew home, trying to avoid turbulence. He rushed into the bathroom and wrapped a fluffy, white towel around her. Hina sneezed and opened a drowsy eye. Tails smiled at her in relief.

"Hey, cutie."

"Sorry." She sniffled, avoiding his eyes.

"It's alright." Tails said, holding her in a tight hug. "Just don't hide on me like that again."

She nodded her head, and sneezed again. Tails contemplated lecturing her on using her powers, but decided it could wait until she had rested.

"Wanna take a nap now?" He asked her gently. She yawned and nodded, snuggling into the warm towel. Apparently, his soft fur was just as good as any bed. Tails walked quietly to Hina's bedroom. He deposited her in the warm bed, wrapping her in warm comforters. He whispered a sweet goodnight in her ear, which trickled unnoticed into her innocent dreams. Tails tip-toed out of the room, leaving the bedroom overhead lights on. He went to his own bedroom and relaxed in bed for a moment, remembering the unnerving feeling that losing Hina had given him. He resolved to be much more careful from then on. His thoughts fell, once again, upon the salmon pink squirrel with her snobby air and high heels. He felt a surge of bitter anger when her glamorous face popped into his head. And who was this Felix she had mentioned? Tails assumed that she planned on building a new home on the lot, and wondered if they would make good neighbors. He felt slightly guilty for feeling such biased dislike for people he had never met. It, he told himself, was not their fault. And maybe they would have children to be friends with Hina.

"It'll be alright." He insisted to himself, comforting himself into a content sleep.

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"Do you love me?" asked a peach-coloured hedgehog with long, silvery blond hair. 

"Of course, Jeanine." answered a taller, navy blue hedgehog with a chiseled chin and a deep, calm voice. He pulled Jeanine into a huge embrace, smothering her face in sloppy kisses. Suddenly, he removed his face from her smitten one. Where his lips had been a moment before, he placed a frilly pink pillow. Jeanine let out a muffled scream, but he pushed her onto an old-fashioned couch and pressed the pillow harder onto her terrified face, until her body went limp.

A loud yell came from behind the murderous scene.

"Horatio!" exclaimed an identical blue hedgehog. "You've killed my only love!"

Horatio let out a cruel laugh.

"Yes, Horace. I, your evil twin-"

Horatio could not finish his monologue, as Rouge flicked the television off with a bored laugh.

"Oh, the drama." She said sarcastically. Three straight hours of soap-operas had completely taken the shock out of scandalizing evil twins. She swallowed a mouthful of half-melted ice-cream and got to her feet. She had had a completely uneventful day which had dragged on relentlessly. She decided with a bored yawn to call Knuckles. Perhaps he could save the day from being completely wasted. As she reached for the white telephone, it rang. She frowned in curiosity and lifted the phone off of the receiver. She expected it to be Knuckles, who was the most likely to call her.

"Hello?" she asked, putting on her most sensual voice. It was not Knuckles voice, however which answered.

"Rouge the Bat?" said a crackly male voice. It sounded as though he was speaking from a few feet away from the phone.

"Yes…" she answered uncertainly.

"It's me." He said mysteriously. Rouge smiled. This was exactly the thing she needed to end the monotony. "We have a mission for you. Meet me in the usual spot."

He hung up instantly, leaving Rouge smiling slyly. They never informed her of her jobs over the telephone incase it was bugged. She knew that the "usual spot" he had mentioned was a dark, long abandoned warehouse several kilometers west of her home. This meant that she needed to leave immediately. She hesitated, considering calling Knuckles before her departure; sometimes she would be away from home for weeks at a time to do various jobs for the anonymous source. She quickly scribbled the explanation of her absence onto a small note, which she placed on the kitchen table. She turned on her heal and soared out of the fire escape window, heading due west.

After about an hour, she arrived at the shabby, crumbling building and glided through a long shattered window. The dirty tiles were stained grey and were coated with an inch of dust. It all exploded like a dirty bomb when Rouge landed silently. After the dust had settled, she made her way quietly across the empty room to the locked office door of someone who had once been extremely important. There was a little gold plaque above the doorway, although the fancy lettering had faded until it was simply a dull metallic plate. Rouge rapped her fist against the door four times. She waited a moment before the door opened only enough for a slender female to slip through. Rouge, who fit that description perfectly, squeezed into the room.

"Hello, Rouge."

The same raspy voice which had summoned her came from somewhere in the office, though its owner was no where in sight.

"Hello." She replied pleasantly, noticing a neat envelope sitting on the ancient desk. She took it and left the room without another word. This curt greeting was often the only contact she ever had with her employer. She lifted into the air again and soared out the same broken window. She flew around until she located an oak tree with a comfortable joint that made a perfect seat. She opened the envelope with a long, crimson nail. A crisp sheet of paper and a picture were enclosed. Her eyes fell first upon the photo. It was a crystal clear image of a brilliant blue sapphire. She read through her mission carefully.

_Rouge,_

_The Rowen's Sapphire is currently under high security at the National Museum in Mumbai, India. Get there and get it for me.__ Do not be seen. Do not give out your identity. Another of my employees, Grace, will meet you there and give you any help you need. I do not need to tell you the importance of you staying under cover. Leave immediately. _

Though the letter explained her job in the usual, blunt, mysterious matter, Rouge let out a gasp. India? Although it more than paid the bills, theft was quite an unstable industry.

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**A/N:**Oooh! Happy… belated… Halloween! I'm sorry this took so long. Life's been pretty hectic -.-. And see? I added in some wonderful Knucklesxrouge action :D!.. well maybe just Rouge action, but don't be picky! I'm not sure what little semiplot to give to sonamy, though… They might get mostly left out of this one. Sorry fans ;). Does India even exist in sonic x universe?... well if not, we're pretending it does! Please review!

--LA


	4. Chapter Four

**A/N:** Chapter four :D! I'm going to try and make this one longer than the last three -.-. I'm so sorry it's been taking me such a long time to update, but this one was better, no? I'm watching Tarzan while writing this :)! So adorable. It's all like… animated cuteness! Sorry… I've been eating too many chocolate covered peanuts :).

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Yawwnnn. Too lazy to make this one witty… which the others "are for sure". I don't own any of the characters in my story except for Hina and… Miss Kyro and Felix:)… Did you know that you burn as many calories playing piano as you do walking at 2 mph?!? I bet you didn't. I need a hobby.

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The early morning sun shone brightly through the tall, green windows of the conservatory. Beads of dew on the colourful blooms of the tropical flora glittered like diamonds. The leaves, which ranged from thick, waxy succulents to spindly needles, shone like emeralds. The humid room reminded Knuckles of a breathtaking jewelry box. He knew that Rouge would have loved the sight. He walked through the empty greenhouse, eyeing the beautiful flowers lining the path. He reached a yellow sparrow standing behind a window in the wall on the other side of the vast room. 

"Good morning, sir." She said with a friendly smile. "Can I help you?"

"Yeah, thanks." Knuckles answered, trying to match her sociable greeting. He simply was not a morning person. The only reason he had set his alarm to such an early hour was so that there would not be a queue to buy tropical bouquets. "Could I get some flowers?"

"Of course you can." She said with a laugh. "What can I get you?"

"Err… Something nice." He answered bleakly, looking over her shoulder at the wall of colourful flower clippings lining the wall. She gave him an understanding smile.

"What's the occasion?"

Knuckles felt his face going red.

"Nothing."

The bird sighed dreamily and smiled.

"I wish my boyfriend would buy me flowers without an occasion." She said, then added as an afterthought "Or ever."

She stared bitterly into space for a few moments, only snapping back into reality when Knuckles cleared his throat loudly.

"Sorry." She said with a laugh. "So if you're not sure about what you want, I can show you some clippings."

"Um, yeah. That sounds good." He replied awkwardly.

"Alright," She said, grabbing a handful of assorted flower clippings. Her movements were so fluid, and seemed so graceful that she made Knuckles feel uncomfortable, as if his skin was suddenly made of lead.

"Do you like the look of any of these?" She asked, spreading the dozen flowers out on the makeshift table at the base of the window, which was clearly for money transition. Knuckles scanned the rainbow blooms. A heart shaped, soft pink flower with pale veins and a long, white-yellow pistil caught his eye.

"What's that one?" He asked, pointing to it and feeling horribly ignorant.

"That's an anthurium." She said with a dreamy smile. "One of my favourites."

"Alright… How much are they?"

"One-Twenty for a dozen." She said automatically. Knuckles just stopped himself from snorting in indigence.

"How many can I get for a twenty?" He asked, the twenty-dollar bill in his pocket feeling like pennies.

"Well, it's twelve dollars for one, but I'll give you two for twenty. And they come in bouquets with baby's breath."

"Perfect!" Knuckles said, with his first sincere smile all morning.

"Great. It's going to take about five minutes. You can look around the conservatory if you want."

Knuckles thanked her and walked slowly over to the bridge overlooking a shallow wishing pond. Pennies and nickels glinted from the bottom, each representing a most certainly ungranted wish.

"Alright, Felix. Make your wish." cooed a woman's voice from a second bridge a few meters away. Knuckles turned to see the owner of the voice; a salmon pink squirrel in dangerously high heels. At her feet stood a young boy, who couldn't have been more than two years old. He had olive green skin, and long, almost black locks of hair that reminded Knuckles of well mannered vines. He seemed so plant-like, as if he could crouch in with the tropical flora and go unnoticed. It was the little boy's eyes, however, that made Knuckles stare. They were the exact same shade of electric blue as Hina's.

"Go on, honey." The squirrel said, gazing at the child with motherly affection. "Wish for anything you want."

"Anything?" He asked, eyeing the clear water with a lustful glint in his familiar eyes. Knuckles had to turn away though, as he realized that at least five minutes had passed. He walked much more briskly to the bird. He turned a corner and saw her talking pleasantly on a telephone with a floral pattern. She smiled at him, and pointed to two pretty flowers wrapped in pale yellow paper. Knuckles mouthed a thanks, and tossed his payment onto the counter. Taking the bouquet, he walked quietly until he reached the squirrel and her strange child. Knuckles knelt down and pretended to read the complicated scientific names of various plants inscribed on little golden plaques.

"I wish…" said the little boy's greedy voice. "I wish…"

"Come on, muffin." The squirrel said, eyeing her fancy-looking wristwatch. A large koi fish swam from beneath the bridge and snatched a little fly from the surface of the water. Knuckles was simply too curious about this little plant boy who so resembled Hina. He hopped to his feet and walked cautiously toward them.

"I want a fish!" the toddler exclaimed, with sudden force in his voice. He chucked a quarter into the pond, only just missing the orange fish. The squirrel sighed.

"Nice wish, Felix. Now let's go. Mommy has to stop by the pet-" she froze, then gave Felix a sugary smile. "The pedicure store."

They left briskly before Knuckles could open his mouth. However, as they reached the revolving front doors, the squirrel peeked over her shoulder and surveyed Knuckles with interest. The echidna's face went beet red, and he turned on his heel abruptly, pretending to be fascinated with a stubby fern.

He shook his head sadly as he heard them leave. Who were these curious, snobby people anyways? After a moment of thought, he decided to deliver his flowers. He said a quick goodbye to the bird, and made his way to Rouge's towering apartment building. She lived on the third floor, in a clean, one bedroom apartment with dramatic red and brown walls. As the elevator took him to her floor, he imagined how her face would look upon receiving her gift. With a sigh and an image of beaming Rouge in his mind, he walked down the hall with a spring in his step. He raised his fist and tapped gently on the door. After waiting a moment, he knocked harder and pressed his ear against the door. With a shrug, he knelt down and pulled a little golden key from under a welcome rug. Unlocking the door, he remembered He and Rouge having a loud argument involving putting the key here.

"That's the first place someone would look!" Knuckles had exclaimed.

"Don't be silly." Rouge answered, rolling her teal eyes. She had won the debate in the end, as she always seemed to.

With a sigh, Knuckles placed the key back into its assigned spot. He opened the wooden door and peeked in. No smiling bat met his searching eyes. He stepped uncertainly into the room, scanning it for any clue towards Rouge's absence. After a moment, he noticed a little square of white stationary propped up against an empty flower vase on the kitchen table. Upon closer inspection, Knuckles saw that it had a short, messy message scribbled down in black ink. The echidna read through it a few times, a look of growing surprise appearing on his face.

"Oh, Rouge." He muttered, shaking his head sadly. The blunt letter explained in a few short sentences how the bat had left to India to steal some obscure gem. The echidna tore the note in half angrily, crumpling it into a ball. He walked into the kitchen, and got a tall, crystal vase which he filled with cold water. With another sigh, he placed the flowers into their new home, wondering if they would even live long enough for the bat to see them. He dropped the container on the kitchen table, rotating it repetitively until he found an angle that he liked. He caressed one of the petals with a finger.

"Be careful." He whispered with another small sigh.

* * *

**A/N:**Heehee.. oh no! Poor Knuckles… a whole chapter of flower shopping- which goodness knows he can't like much- and Rouge goes and gets herself caught up with work in India. Poor muffin :(!!! Let's all hug him :3. 

--LA


	5. Chapter Five

**A/N:** Oh gosh this can't be good :P… I think I need to get my eyes checked because they keep zoning out and going lazy eye ::S… I also sprained my ankle playing soccer the other night… sniff. It's all swollen up now. But I'll stop with my excuses. I just finished watching all of the Sonic Next-Gen cutscenes. I freakin cried… it made my question my Sonamy, Knuxrouge religion. I was in tears. Now I want to write something all melodramatic XD! My resolution for this chapter is to get it longer. The others have been on the short side… and I apologize for that. Smack me if this one's not longer… Smile for the paparazzi :D!

--LA

* * *

Wowee :3. If I owned any of the characters, Tails and I would be married :)… which means he would be older, or I would be younger. Either one. He's adorable XD! Oh, and Child's Play would be a multi-million dollar feature length film .!

* * *

Tails took a lonely bite of cereal, reading the side of the box without interest. He yawned, and called Hina's name dismally. She didn't make a sound, as she had the umpteen other times he had tried to wake her. It was unnerving to see her sleeping in so late, as she was usually such an excitable, early riser. With a sigh, he returned to his lonely breakfast. After a moment of near silence, the doorbell rang, making him jump. He hopped to his feet, grateful that had someone to talk to. When he reached the front door, there was a new spring in his step. He was pleasantly surprised to meet Amy and Sonic, standing hand in hand at the door.

"Hey, Tails." The blue hedge hog said, entering with a grin. He had been exceptionally cheerful lately, ever since getting out of his month-long encounter with being disabled.

"Morning Sonic, Amy." Tails answered, gesturing for them to enter happily. Both hedgehogs obeyed, beaming as Tails led them into the kitchen.

"How are you doing, Tails?" Amy asked happily, sipping the tea Tails had served for them.

"Not too bad." He said with a bitter smile. "It's Hina you should be worried about."

Amy looked extremely concerned.

"What's wrong?" She asked dropping her spoon with a clatter.

"She's just upset." Tails answered with a sigh, scratching his head. "All of her trees are dieing because some snobby squirrel is moving in next door."

Amy frowned sympathetically and put a hand on Tails' forearm.

"I'll see if I can go talk to her."

"Good luck." Said Tails with a shrug.

Amy quickly left the boys alone, hurrying away into the hall. She made her way to Hina's new bedroom. She peeked around the bedroom, until her eyes fell upon a slowly breathing lump in the pile of blankets and pillows on the bed.

"Hina," she said quietly, gently plopping down beside the tiny girl. She put a hand on the lump, rubbing softly. She felt Hina freeze, and poke her head a fraction out of her fluffy covers.

"Amy?" She said in a tiny, barely audible voice, peeking out further like a sprout from its seed. Her electric blue eyes were opened wide, and didn't appear the least bit tired. Amy slowly and carefully pulled off the covers and tossed them aside. Hina squealed excitedly and squirmed into the hedgehog's lap. She beamed up happily, a wide smile tickling her rosy cheeks.

"Good morning!" She giggled, climbing up to hug the hedgehog.

"Silly," Amy said, poking Hina's nose. "It's hardly morning anymore."

The little girl cocked her head and sneezed.

"Why?"

"Because you've slept in super late today. Why didn't you want to get up?"

Hina looked away sheepishly, tears suddenly erupting in her eyes, making them glitter like sapphires.

"It's alright." Amy said softly, pulling Hina closer.

"My friends are dying." She whimpered, wiping her eyes with a little fist. She looked up sadly, her eyes glistening. "They got poison."

"Your friends?"

"Alvin, and Regina, and Rosa, and Gavin…" Hina sobbed. A look of understanding flashed across Amy's face.

"Oh no." she whispered, pulling Hina tighter. The sniffling girl hiccoughed miserably.

"Do you know why?" Amy asked, choosing her words carefully. Hina shook her head.

"It's because people need to move in there. It's going to be their new home."

"But why couldn't they live with my plants instead?"

"Because they need to build a house. Now come on," she said kindly, "let's go say good morning to Mipro and Sonic."

Hina's head perked up a bit.

"Sonic is here?" she asked hopefully. "Is he out of his chair?"

"That's right." Amy said, realizing that she had hit gold in cheering up the doleful girl. "And he'll take you for a run, just like he promised."

"Super fast?" Hina said excitedly, her eyes wide in enthusiasm.

"Super duper." Laughed Amy, scooping Hina up onto her shoulders. She hopped back into the kitchen, Hina laughing openly now.

"She lives!" Sonic chuckled, getting to his feet to greet the beaming girl, whose arms were spread wide in front of her.

"Sonic!" she cried happily, dropping from Amy's shoulders and into his outstretched arms. "Can we run now?"

Sonic laughed.

"Know what?" he said "If it's alright with you, Tails, we can run right now."

Tails winked at Hina.

"Go right ahead."

Hina looked like she could have exploded with joy. She turned quickly back to Sonic with wide eyes, beaming. Without a word, the blue hedgehog shot to the front door, Hina shrieking with delight in his arms. Opening the door to a gorgeous, warm day, Sonic and Hina sped down the steps, and in quick circles. Sonic strategically ran in the opposite direction of the neighbouring lot which homed an array of sickly flora. Without a backward glance, Hina laughed and beamed every time her ride made a sudden blast of speed or quick turn. They soon reached a pretty park with neatly trimmed emerald grass, and shining metallic play equipment. Sonic plopped Hina down on a bench, and took a seat beside her.

"Did you have fun?" he asked her with a grin. She grinned and nodded her head vigorously.

"You're so fast." She said in awe.

Sonic laughed.

"You think so?"

"Mmhmm!" she said enthusiastically, now nodding so passionately that it looked as though her head might fall off of her delicate neck. "I wish I could run like that."

"Know what?" Sonic said, getting an idea. "I bet you could."

Hina stopped nodding instantly, and stared up at him with huge eyes.

"For real?"

"For real." He replied, with a tiny smile.

"How?"

"Well," Sonic said, thinking on his feet. "First, you've gotta get up."

Hina obeyed hastily, her eyes still fixed on her new mentor.

"Now, just walk towards the swing set." He said, pointing. Hina took enthusiastic steps which seemed much to be large to be natural. Sonic counted to three in his head, and then zoomed up behind her, putting a hand on her back to help her along. He ran slow enough that her short legs could pitter-patter back and forth and not stumble. He was actually surprised how quickly she could move when assisted. Out of curiosity, he quickened his pace slightly. Hina didn't trip, but kept her legs moving so quickly Sonic was losing sight of them. He noticed that the blue stone on her chest was glowing brighter than he had ever seen it. She looked up at him, but instead of showing the ecstatic face he had been expecting, she was wincing with exhaustion. Impulsively, Sonic immediately halted his running, but Hina was not as quick to respond. She continued to sprint forward, though since the moment he took his hand from her back, her stubby legs didn't seem to be able to keep up with her body. After a second, she tripped and fell face first into a sand box. Sonic rushed over to her.

"Hina!" He exclaimed, nervously lifting her out of the large dent in the sand she had made. She looked shocked and dazed, but her eyes were dry of tears and she seemed unharmed. "Are you alright?"

"Yes." She said uncertainly, brushing sand form her cheeks. She looked up at him with a weak smile.

"I was like you."

"You certainly were." Sonic answered numbly. "Come on. Let's go home."

* * *

Rouge raised an eyebrow at the adolescent yellow bat hovering behind the rental car stand at the Mumbai airport.

"And who do we have here?" she asked herself in a mildly interested undertone. The young men were always the easiest to persuade.

"Oh what am I going to do?" She chimed in a ridiculously loud, overdramatic, high-pitched voice.

"Can I help you, ma'am?" he asked nervously, beads of sweat appearing on his brow. Rouge suspected that it had nothing to do with the clammy climate.

"Oh, I don't think so." She replied, putting on her best damsel-in-distress voice. "You see, I left my purse on the plane… with all of my money, my passport…"

"Don't worry." He said, putting on an obviously false deep voice and lifting the telephone from the receiver on the counter. "I'll just call the-"

"No!" Interrupted Rouge a little too quickly. She gave him an innocent smile. "But I need to get to the hospital right away."

He placed the phone back down and gazed curiously at Rouge. She leaned in closer to him, touching his cheek with a gloved hand and trying, with a pang of guild, not to think about Knuckles. She pecked his lips, and withdrew leaving him completely stunned.

"I-I" He stuttered, forgetting to put on his fake manly voice.

"And I really need a car."

"O-okay." He replied slowly, typing something in on the keyboard in front of him.

"But I can't pay for a car."

"Don't worry about it, my dear." He said with a sort of bow. Rouge eyed him in mixed pity and disgust while he faced the ground. He pulled a little brown wallet out of a bag that could have belonged to a ten-year-old.

"Arnold?" said the deep voice of a navy blue armadillo who had appeared behind the young bat who froze and looked up in terror at Rouge. The armadillo was clearly the manager of the little rental car stand.

"Oh dang." Said Arnold aloud, turning quickly to face his boss. When he turned away, Rouge slunk away into a washroom and out of sight, catching a last glance of his heart broken face.

"Poor kid." Rouge muttered sadly, regarding herself in the mirror. She turned absent-mindedly and gazed at her slender form from the side.

"Real classy." scoffed a woman's from one of the washroom stalls. "Breaking teenager's hearts to get a car."

A tall, slim fox with long, shimmering purple fur stepped out of one of the toilet stalls elegantly. Before Rouge could ask, the fox said in her deep, commanding voice,

"I'm Grace."

* * *

**A/N:**Aww poor Arnold :P! I'm ashamed of Rouge. I mean, the chick's a thief. Just go out and steal a freakin Porche. Ahem… sorry :) I am SUCH an inconsistent writer :! Like this one was so awfully written in the beginning. I'm so sorry about that. See? I told you this one would be longer. And yes, yes. I know it's still not _really_ long, but better than the others, no? And please review :D… I do _love _them reviews.

--LA


	6. Chapter Six

**A/N:** This is chapter six :3! Simply because I have nothing at all to do, and am nursing a dreadful case of (gasp) writer's block, I have decided to write SIX in ten different languages! Šest, seks, zes, kuus, kuusi, six, die Sechs, hat, sex –teehee!!-, enam. There ya go. Who here thinks I need a life? Oh meemeemeeee!

--LA

* * *

It just so happens that I would be completely screwed should SEGA suddenly decided to be all protective over their characters 0.o… And that, my wonderful, wonderful readers… is because I do not, in fact, own the characters in my story, excluding Hina, Felix and Miss Kyro (who I am very much hoping to give a first name some time soon). Betcha didn't see that coming B-).

* * *

Gabrielle marched confidently through the rows of colourful fish tanks. She inspected each of the tank's inhabitants carefully, tapping a pane of glass here and swirling a finger around in the water there. She passed the goldfish without paying them the least bit of attention; the small, common fish were far too usual for her Felix. The squirrel eyed an elaborate aquarium at the end of the fish section, which was a home to dozens of colourful angelfish, all over thirty centimetres in length. The largest of the group had a yellow-orange body, striped with black and blue. It's cerulean face and black masked eyes gave it a look of a great majesty. Gabrielle leaned in closer to the tank, tapping it gently. 

"Can I help you?" asked a middle-aged, puma, with lemon yellow fur.

"Yes, thank you." replied Gabrielle with a smile, withdrawing from the tank. "I want to get a gift for my son. He is turning… 15."

She decided it was best to lie, as the tall cat would certainly suggest something dreadfully boring if it was going to a one-year-old. Gabrielle knew, however, that Felix would be able to care for a proper pet. He seemed to have a strange connection to animals, which she had noticed when they had gone to visit a large, and expensive zoo. Strangely enough, though, he had failed to keep a simple potted plant alive for more than a few days.

"Well," Said the Puma thoughtfully, leading Gabrielle around and pointing out various aquatic pets, none of which caught the squirrel's attention. "We've got the largest collection of tropical fish in the city."

"Perfect." The squirrel said, putting a hand on her hip. "Can you show me something interesting?"

"Tell me if you see anything you think he'll like."

The passed tank after tank in silence, until they reached a large circular container, holding nothing as far as Gabrielle could see.

"What is in there?" She asked conversationally, eyeing the dark décor in the water with dislike.

"Octopi. A couple of them, actually."

Gabrielle squinted into the water, looking for an octopus.

"Where?"

The puma smiled.

"Everyone asks that. Watch this."

She opened a small compartment below the tank, pulling out a set of colourful plastic boards stacked atop each other. Gabrielle watched curiously as the puma opened a lock on the tank. She scanned the rock in the tank for a moment, before plunging her arm into the water. She felt around for a moment before grabbing what Gabrielle would have mistaken for a stone had it not squirmed to escape the pet shop worker's grasp. The puma lifted the murky brown invertebrate, eyeing the look of disgust on Gabrielle's face with a grin.

"Just watch."

She placed it gently on a lime green board. The octopus instantly changed colour to mimic its new setting, making Gabrielle gasp.

"How-"

"Keep watching."

She lifted the little animal from the green plank, and placed it on a second one, pale blue in colour. The octopus quickly changed colour to match.

"That is amazing!" Gabrielle said breathlessly. The puma grinned.

"Watch this one."

She pulled a monochromatic checkerboard pattern from the middle of her pile. The octopus sat on it for an instant before switching once again. This time, it was adorned with identical black and white squares.

"That's perfect." The squirrel said breathlessly, stroking it with a finger. The puma placed it back into the tank and locked it, as the octopus stretched out its long eight legs, pulling itself into a far corner and changing back into the murky grey colour.

"Great. Would you like to pick out a tank?"

Gabrielle nodded, and the puma showed her an entire wall dedicated to animal homes of all kinds. In the corner nearest to the two women, tall glass tanks of various shapes and sizes were set out in a colourful display.

"You'll need a tank sized four to seven." She said, gesturing to the orange stickers on the bottom right corner of each tank. "Come and get me when you're ready, and I'll get that little guy ready."

Gabrielle walked slowly amongst the tanks, checking a tag now and then. The huge, bathtub-sized size seven containers seemed so ridiculously huge in comparison to the tiny eight-legged pet. She stopped in front of a size-four tank with blue tinged glass. It was shaped like a sphere, and had a metallic, electric blue lid. This was perfect; Felix's favourite colour was this electric blue. Gabrielle walked towards the checkout area designated to aquatics. The yellow Puma was holding a plastic baggie home of the small octopus, which looked uncertain about what colour to be in the clear water.

"Are you ready?" She asked, stepping around the desk.

"Could I get the blue one?"

"That would be great."

The puma dropped the bag on the table gently, and made her way into a storeroom behind doors which blended in with the blue walls, emerging a few moments later carrying the tank with some effort, along with a thick paperback book. She spent nearly quarter an hour going over the proper way to care for the evidentially extremely high-maintenance pet.

"Think you got all that?" She asked, closing the book with a loud smack.

"I think so." Gabrielle replied, though she was extremely grateful that she would be able to refer back to the octopus bible she had purchased along with the tank and the animal itself.

* * *

"Wait." Tails interrupted for the umpteenth time, rubbing his forehead and watching Hina in disbelief. "She was-" 

"Running like me." Sonic said, with almost equivalent shock. "Yeah."

"But…"

Tails said, his voice fading away into thought. Hina, the tiny child who could only just walk, running alongside Sonic? Sonic shook his head, shrugging.

"Beats me. Must have something to do with her rock thing… it was glowing."

Tails looked up curiously, his brows furrowed. Amy silently gazed at her fingers. She hadn't made a sound since Sonic had explained the strange new development in Hina's powers. Hina smiled, looking around intently.

"I was fast."

Amy opened her mouth as if she was about to say something, but closed it again after a moment. She repeated this odd action several times before finally releasing some sound.

"Why," she said in a quiet, thoughtful voice, "were that cat and mouse breaking into your house anyways?"

Everyone looked up at her, save Hina who was still smiling fondling, apparently thinking about her encounter with such speed. No one had really paid this matter much attention, mainly because a break-in was a disgruntling thing to face. They had mainly hoped that it would simply be forgotten.

"You think it had something to do with Hina?"

"Well, it wouldn't surprise me," she said in a pensive voice, "Considering how much power that rock has."

Nobody answered, but they all stared at Hina with concern. Tails' eyes opened wide after a moment of silence, and he got to his feet with excitement.

"That flower-"

"Hey, guys." Knuckles said loudly, entering the room with a bang and leaving a trail of muddy footprints in his wake.

"Knuckles!" exclaimed Sonic. "Tails was about to tell us something important!"

The kitsune, however, was standing with the look of anticipation frozen upon his face. The people standing around him could almost see a light bulb glowing above his head. Knuckles took a seat moodily, and crossed his arms.

"Well, so am I." He fumed. Sonic and Amy looked curiously at him, while Tails was still frozen in thought. "Rouge's gone to goddamn India on a _job_."

Amy looked scandalized.

"She told me she was done with that sort of thing."

Knuckles shrugged, and returned to glaring into space.

"But Tails," Sonic insisted, not nearly as interested in Rouge's lie as Amy "what were you about to say?"

Tails jumped, and looked around as if he had completely forgotten that the other were there.

"I…" He lifted Hina out of her highchair, and made a quick move towards the door leading to the hallway. "I have to go. Sorry."

He hurried out of the kitchen, leaving his guests staring at the doorway in surprise.

"What's with him?" Knuckles asked bluntly, craning his neck to see into the hallway.

"Well," Sonic said angrily, crossing his arms, "He was about to tell us until you barged in."

Knuckles scratched his head with a guilty smile.

"Sorry. I was just pissed."

"I don't blame you!" Amy said angrily, also crossing her arms. The three sat in a furious circle, glaring at nothing in particular.

* * *

**A/N:** Can't you tell what an effort I put into my endings -.-? I'm not tooo fond of the whole chapter :3! I've always wanted a pet octopus. And what on earth could be the drama with Tails?!? He and his brilliant little mind must have an awesomeee idea worthy of awesomeee reviews :) Thanks for reading!.. (cough)…review… 

--LA


	7. Chapter Seven

**A/N:** Voila! Chapter seven. This one took me a while to write, I'm afraid, because I've been lazy and writer's block…ed. It's dreadful, isn't it? I've been having some self-esteem issues… Scrutinizing my writing, bashing my head into walls… just feeling like a one of the monkeys with those typewriters who wrote Hamlet or whatever… You know, that sort of depressed shit :P. I'm allowed to say shit because I made my rating "T" :). I'm so smart! S-M-R-T!

--LA

* * *

WOOT! I do not own any characters or whatever in my story :). Imagine what would happen if we authors didn't write these disclaimers!.. SEGA would sue us all, and get super rich… and then they would make some amazing games! I'm seriously considering erasing this message now… I'd do my time, then come back out to find a whole bunch of awesome, plot-having games! Three cheers for plots!

Tendrils of pale vapour rose from two identical plates of steaming supper placed before the two shapely women. Their platters were adorned with an array of seafood and rice. The fox lifted a silver spoon to her lips with her eyes closed. She savoured her mouthful for a long moment before returning her spoon to the half-empty plate in front of her. Across from the fox sat a white bat, eyes gazing blankly into the evening sky where the first stars were beginning to show their shining faces. The seafood on the plate set before her was completely untouched. Grace chewed and swallowed her mouthful, then broke the dinner's silence.

"You should eat something." She said in a kind voice, although there was a trace of superiority in her tone. Rouge snapped back to earth, turning abruptly to face her company.

"I don't do seafood." The bat said, frowning at her dish. Grace frowned at her partner and placed her spoon on the table.

"You can't afford to be picky." replied the fox in a frustratingly calm voice. For the entire span of the few hours they had spent in the spacious hotel room, Rouge had been on the edge of loosing her temper. She could tell that the fox was simply one of those people who was exceedingly difficult to be with for large periods of time.

"I'm fine." The bat replied. She felt a pang of annoyance at why Grace and her glaring self-confidence were so challenging to speak to. The fox made Rouge feel like a clueless adolescent who needed to be corrected and spoken-down to on every occasion.

"Alright, then." Grace said dismissively. "Since you're not eating, you want to go get me a glass of wine from the fridge."

Rouge silently obeyed. These rhetorical questions were just one other thing which made Grace frustrating to be around. It made Rouge feel as if she was obliged to be a proper host, although their host-guest relationship was completely neutral. And the way Grace remained always pleasant made Rouge feel childish and sulky. The fox seemed to siphon all of the confidence out of anyone around her, drawing it into herself and making everyone else feel awkward. She also had a way of never agreeing, no matter what Rouge said, and worst of all, her opinions always seemed to make perfect sense. The bat angrily grabbed a pair of glasses and a bottle of red wine from the kitchen, returning slowly to the balcony where they were dining.

She poured it into the two crystal glasses. Grace took the one in which Rouge had accidentally dispensed slightly more wine than the other.

* * *

Felix sat amongst a mountain of stuffed animals, playing out a scene with a minuature tiger and a shining unicorn.

"Oh no!" Squealed the unicorn as the tiger leapt onto its back with a harsh roar, sinking in nonexistent teeth. Predator and prey wrestled around for several minutes, accompanied with many loud _'aargh'_'s and growls.

"Felix, my dear!" Gabrielle cooed, appearing next to him and tugging him into a tight hug. The child returned the embrace and showed Gabrielle his two new stuffed animals.

"Can we get them?" He asked happily.

"Of course!" the squirrel clucked, pushing one of Felix's locks of hair out of his beaming face. The two were sitting in a cozy toy store owned by Gabrielle's good friend. She sometimes deposited Felix here when she needed to do something on her own. She carried the two toys and her son to the register. They waited in a queue for a moment, and just as they were about to pay, a grinning rabbit stepped in front of them.

"Nice try, Gabby." She said in a jokingly serious voice.

"Laure-lee!" Gabrielle exclaimed happily, placing the toys and Felix on the ground and pulling her friend into a hug.

"You know you don't pay here."

"Laura-lee, do not be silly!" the squirrel said with a smile, trying to get around her friend who was blocking the check-out.

"No."

"But-"

"No. It's on me."

"Oh, Laura-lee." Gabrielle said with a defeated smile. "You do spoil us."

"I try." The rabbit said happily, picking up the toys off the ground and handing them to Felix.

"Come back soon."

"Thanks." Felix said happily, hugging his two new friends tightly.

"Thank you so much." Gabrielle beamed, stepping out the door.

"Bye, hun."

Felix skipped down the street pulling Gabrielle along in his wake. They reached their shining convertible which had been custom coloured to match the squirrel's salmon pink fur. They both took their seats and Gabrielle fastened Felix into his car-seat, starting the vehicle. The young boy made his new toys fight in his lap, silent except for an odd 'roar' or 'aah!'. They pulled into the parking lot of the hotel where they were staying until able to move into the soon-to-be house. They made their way inside and up to the floor homing the presidential suites. As they entered the elevator, Felix ran ahead and confidently pushed the round button which read "38". He grinned as it illuminated, and waited for Gabrielle.

"Can we press one more?" He asked hopefully, eyes wide. He seemed to get a huge pleasure from pushing these insignificant floor numbers.

"I cannot see why not."

Felix happily jabbed his finger into a random button, 9, so that two glowing circles stood out between the many white ones. The doors slid shut and Felix bounced on his heels cheerfully until the elevator halted with a gentle nudge, and the doors glided back open to reveal a short panda bear waiting, a bucket clutched in both hands.

"Hi!" She said happily, skipping into the elevator, her pale pink sundress flowing behind her.

"I'm Leah!" She gleefully said, dropping the bucket on the elevator floor and swaying her arms back and forth along her side. She had huge, chocolate-brown eyes and long curls of black hair which fell down her back and bounced whit every step she took.

"Hello, Leah." said Gabrielle with a tiny laugh. "Which floor do you need to go to?"

"Oh yeah! I forgot." Leah said with a giggle. "Floor sixteen. I'm supposed to go get ice."

Felix stared at her for a moment with his mouth open slightly.

"I'm Felix." He said at last. "We're here because we're getting a new house soon!"

Leah looked at her feet.

"We're here 'cause our house got on fire."

Tears began to swell in her dark eyes as she gazed sadly at her tiny black shoes. Gabrielle was completely speechless. Felix, however, gave the panda a sympathetic look and a small hug.

"Thank you." She said with a teary smile. The door opened with a small 'ping' and Leah gave them a final smile. "Bye!"

She stepped out and left Gabrielle and Felix alone once again.

"Poor thing." Said the squirrel quietly, finally finding her voice. The two stood in silence for another moment before another soft 'ping' announced floor thirty-eight. They stepped out of the elevator and into the large and extravagant room.

The two bed suite, although extremely comfortable and modern-looking, simply did not have the same, comfortable feeling that only a real home could supply. They both got ready for bed in relentless silence which neither dared to break. To Gabrielle, it felt as though the quiet which hung in the air, shockingly tangible, was the only thing keeping her composed. She was uncertain why, but her pity for the small girl, who could not have been more than a year older than Felix, was overtaking. As she brushed her teeth, she wished desperately for something she could do to help.

* * *

**A/N:** Another short one, I'm afraid. Sorry! Silly, silly Grace. She's based on a real person too, you know :P. My cousin… whose name I don't think I will mention, in case she some how found this… But I spend half of my summer with her… and man, I could tear heads of the entire time. And I'm so nice that I decided to hold off on telling you guys Tails' big idea until the next chapter. Ahh well, guess you have no choice but to KEEP READING!!!! I wouldn't blame you stopped, though… As I said, I feel like my writing is awful right now. But review this chapter anyways, even if you don't continue :). Thanks!

--LA


	8. Chapter Eight

**A/N:**Wowee! Eight chapters. Time certainly does fly :). Soo… I've got an extra special surprise for you guys (and that's why this one took so long for me to write). I made a picture of all of my characters (and I've realized that I have a hell of a lot :!) I want to squish them all :! But anyways, it's Gabrielle, Felix, Hina, Leah and Grace :D! If you can't tell which is which… than I really am a failure. Here's the link:

http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/4394/scanqt0.jpg

Did it work? I have a list of things which bother me about the picture: Hina's shoes (I was LAZY), Felix in general (He looks like VOLDEMORT!), Gabrielle's ears (…no comment -.-), Hina's petal skirt thing (I think some of their angles are a tiny bit PHYSICALLY IMPOSSIBLE), Gabrielle's nails (:K)!… the list goes on. But anywho, have fun reading… and a happy New Year B-)!

* * *

This one is in poem form :D! 

'Oh charactersinmystory…

How I wish I owned thee…

But I don't :D!'

Thank you, thank you.

* * *

Tails pressed his head upon the cool, soothing glass of the window. He massaged his temples, tapping his foot anxiously. For the last few hours, he had racked his brain to try and find a single, long forgotten memory. He could nearly remember it; far, far back. It was tantalizingly close to appearing in his mind's eye. A brilliant, red flower, however, stood out in the haze of the rest of the memory. What the flower had to do with the bizarre situation involving Hina and Sonic, he was unsure, but his instincts were telling him that the scarlet blossom taunting him so was important in figuring it out. His concentrated thoughts began to exhaustedly creep from the memory, though, and fall upon Cosmo. For a half-conscious moment, it felt to Tails that she was with them again, gazing happily from behind a pane of glass just beyond reach. It was spiritually crippling when a soft knock at the door tore him away from his friend. He hastily wiped a budding tear from his eye with a fist, and jogged over to the bedroom door. Amy stood in the hall, looking concerned and nervous. A sleeping Hina was cradled in the crook of her elbow. 

"Tails?" She asked gently, touching his arm softly with her free hand. The kitsune forced a weak smile.

"I'm sorry." He said sincerely, wishing he had not been such a neglectful host. "Did Sonic and Knuckles leave?"

"Yeah. A few hours ago."

Tails blinked in surprise.

"What time is it?" he asked, although he could have easily turned his head to read the digital alarm clock beside his bed.

"Nearly one." She replied with a tired laugh. Tails quickly took Hina out of her grasp.

"I'm so sorry, Amy!" He said in distress. "You can stay here tonight, if you want."

Amy smiled and rubbed her eyes.

"Thanks a lot. I'd walk home," she said with a yawn, "but it's pitch black outside."

Tails ushered her into his bedroom, refusing to listen to her objections about taking his room. After a few moments, most likely out of exhaustion, she gave up and slumped onto the bed.

"Night, Tails." The hedgehog yawned, burying herself under the blankets. Tails flicked off the light and quietly made his way to Hina's room to deposit her in bed. Now likely the last one awake in the house, he silently plopped down onto the couch in the living room, feeling surprisingly awake. He stared at the ceiling and removed his gloves to gnaw at his finger nails. For a few moments, he thought dimly about their future neighbors, but the subject couldn't keep his attention tonight. For the second time that evening, or morning as it was now, his uneasy mind pulled him back to the subject which pained him so. Cosmo was beaming in his mind's eye, and he could feel tears on his cheeks again. Ignoring them, he shut his eyes tightly until they burned and fireworks set of before them. For a moment, it seemed as though if he squinted forcefully enough, he might awake months back to find Cosmo sitting beside him, apologizing innocently for waking him, and asking if he would like to try a cupcake. For a moment, he blissfully imagined being reunited with her until he focused upon her ruby broach. He was reminded of Hina's fairly similar one. A stab of an unpleasant, unfamiliar emotion gripped him for a moment. What if he had found some way to avoid Cosmo's fate? She would still be with them, but Hina would certainly not. He felt bitter and completely torn as a disturbing question budded from the back of his brain. If he had been presented with a choice, which would he choose? Cosmo or Hina? He drifted off to sleep with this painful question torturing him.

* * *

Felix let out an ecstatic scream of delight as his drowsy eyes met the huge blue, flat-bottom sphere before his bed. He squirmed to escape the comforters surrounding him, half hotel-supplied, and half his own. He scrambled onto the floor beside it, staring with wide eyes and an almost comical, perfect 'o' of a mouth. He touched the glass with a finger, blue eyes surveying the odd creature lying on a large turquoise stone. The many-legged creature was the exact colour, and would have gone unnoticed were it not for its large, black eyes gazing out of its tank expectantly. 

"Mamma!" he cried, hopping from foot to foot. Gabrielle hurried into the room with a little smile and a cup of coffee clutched in both hands. She looked much shorter in the fuzzy slippers she wore this morning than her usual high heels. She had, however, taken time to paint her face with its usual layer of cosmetics.

"What is that?" She exclaimed in fake surprise, putting a manicured hand to her mouth.

"An octopus!" he cried, pointing to it and beaming. Gabrielle let out a gasp and crouched down to Felix's level.

"What is his name?" she asked looking at him intently.

For a moment, Felix silently pondered her question, gazing curiously at the creature.

"She." He said, cocking his head and looking up at the squirrel who he idolized so, who had found him as a child. He didn't like her being incorrect; it made him feel confused and even slightly afraid.

"Oh!" laughed Gabrielle. "What is her name, then?"

Again, the small boy returned to staring pensively at his pet.

"Lucy." He said certainly, getting to his feet. "Can I hold her?"

"Of course you can!" replied Gabrielle, reaching into the tank to grab the turquoise octopus. Felix stared fixedly at it – her - with wide, excited eyes, hopping up and down a bit again. He took her in his hands gingerly, almost afraid that if he moved too much she might dematerialize and fall between his fingers like sand. The little invertebrate quickly changed colour to match the off-white of its owner's gloves. Felix watched in amazement as she crawled up his right arm, giggling at the bizarre feeling each tiny suction cup on her many arms made.

"Want to go have some breakfast?" the squirrel asked him, gently pulling the creature off of his arm and plopping her back into the water.

"Yeah." He said cheerfully, skipping into the kitchen.

* * *

For the umpteenth time that night, Tails sat up from the couch rubbing his eyes. He moodily fell back onto the sofa, exhausted but apparently incapable of returning to sleep. To his mild displeasure, his mind once again returned to tearing him apart by means of the dreaded question. The strange thing was that he would, of course, never need to make this decision. Cosmo or Hina? Cosmo was gone. It pained him terribly to think it, but it was so. But however much he wished it would just leave his fatigued mind and body alone for the night, the question persistently nagged at him. In an attempt to drown it out, he concentrated on thinking about finding that memory stowed somewhere deep in his mind. The red flower materialized again in his mind's eye, but this time there were three distinct, colourful hazes which accompanied it; one red, one green, and one yellow-orange. It was obvious to him that they were Knuckles, Cosmo and himself. As soon as the names rushed into his mind, the image seemed to refine and buff to crystal clarity. He sat bolt upright, contorting his expression slightly in concentration. 

"That flower." He muttered, taking large gulps of breath for some odd reason. The more he siphoned all of his mind power into deciphering the memory so excruciatingly close, the clearer it played out in his head. First, he recalled snippets of sentences, or flashes of facial expressions. Knuckles laughing, Cosmo thanking him…

Finally, the memory revealed itself in full.

_The three friends walked through a thin, fairly sparse forest, conversing lightly. They stepped carefully to avoid __crushing the few sprouts which managed to grow in the unfertile soil._

"_Oh, look!" Cosmo called to the other two, crouching beside a stubby bush. This bush stood out between the others because of the bright, red flowers growing upon it. "This one's still doing well."_

_Tails and Knuckles walked to__ her side, both smiling at her. She gingerly plucked one of the blossoms, and held it to her face, inhaling the sweet scent. _

"_See?" She said happily. She grabbed Tails' hand and tugged him down beside her, and repeated the action with Knuckles. As soon as her hand clasped around his wrist, she crushed the flower in her hand. The boys stared in disbelief, but Cosmo dropped the crumpled petals and bit her knuckles, squinting tears out of her eyes._

"_I swore I wouldn't." She breathed and backed away from the other two, tears running down her cheeks. She stumbled backward and fell onto her back clumsily, shielding her face from the other two with a trembling hand._

"_Cosmo!" Tails said worriedly, rushing beside her. She composed herself with a quaking breath. _

"_I'm fine." She said firmly getting to her feet hastily and marching on past them. The boys exchanged confused looks and followed in her wake._

* * *

**A/N:**Gasp! Emotions! Oh my gosh, guys :! I just found that there's a show called Love HINA :o! I looked it up and it was a bunch of chicks in bikinis. I swear to god! I didn't get her name from that. Ahh well, thank you and please review!! If you think about it, a review is like the way you say thanks… and pay for my err… service. So, if you read and do not review, it's like stealing. Are you a stealer?!?! I certainly hope not. 

--LA


	9. Chapter Nine

**A/N:**Three reviews. More than thirty hits (At least when I started writing this). Huh. I had hoped that my whole no-stealing lecture was going to make a difference. Thirty minus three… is… Give me a second… twenty seven. That's twenty-seven people who stole from me. TWENTY FREKIN SEVEN! You each get a life sentence at… Azkaban :K! Average life span is about 85 years… round to 100 'cause I'm lazy and shit at math… twenty-seven times 100 is… 2700! Gasp! TWO THOUSAND, SEVEN HUNDRED YEARS! That means you guys are gonna be locked up for eevvveeerrrrr! I'll testify for you and get you out, however, if I get more reviews this time.

--LADY FLIPPIN' AMALPHIA!

* * *

Emma can't write a disclaimer today, 'cause she fell asleep because of the calming drugs Dr. Pepper gave her.

* * *

"Who's there?" Sonic said groggily. He sat strait up and flung a pillow randomly at the source of the sudden noise.

"Sonic!" snapped Amy, ducking to avoid the incoming object. The blue hedgehog rubbed his eyes and smiled meekly at her.

"Sorry, Ames." He yawned, getting to his feet and tossing the pillow back onto the bed. Amy returned his smile apologetically.

"I forgot my conditioner here the other day." She told him, walking past him and to the master bathroom.

"And you had to come get it at two AM?" He asked, his voice half annoyed and half amused.

"Well I was in the neighborhood." She said tugging at her gloves and staring fixedly at the ceiling. Sonic watched her for a moment with a cocked eyebrow, but his face cracked into a grin.

"Sure. I'll grab your stuff." He stepped around her and reached into the shower to grab an orange bottle of heavily perfumed conditioner. As he pulled it out, his nose caught the fragrance and his bode froze. He shut his eyes gently for a moment, and drew in a deep breath, letting the scent intoxicate his senses for a moment. It was a crisp citrus aroma, doused slightly by a dim, flowery smell. When he opened his eyes again, he saw Amy smirking at him from the doorway with a hand on her hip. Sonic immediately slapped his arms to his sides, eyes wide. Amy tittered a little and marched over to him with the amused smile frozen on her face. She picked up the bottle with her thumb and index finger, still gazing at Sonic with the little smile on her face.

"I like your shampoo." He said awkwardly hastily letting her pull the little orange bottle out of his grasp.

"Thanks." Amy giggled, pinching his cheek. Sonic smiled and quickly marched past her into the bedroom. He slouched onto the bed, and Amy followed suite.

"So," He said casually, lying back onto the bad with his hands behind his head. "Did Tails tell you anything about his idea? He mentioned a flower…"

Amy shrugged, and plopped onto her back beside him.

"Nothing." She replied with pity. "He was locked up in his room the whole time I was there."

"That's not like him at all." said Sonic, rotating his body to find a more comfortable position on his side.

"I know." Amy said, sounding nervous. "I'm worried about him."

Sonic smiled at her and placed his hand gently on hers.

"Don't worry." He said soothingly. "Tails knows he can tell me if he has a problem."

Amy smiled grudgingly at him, but he could tell that she was not completely convinced. Neither spoke for a moment after.

"I don't know about you," Sonic said with a yawn, stretching his arms above his head. "But I'm exhausted."

He noticed with a little chuckle, however, that she was tucked into a tiny ball, breathing softly. The conscious hedgehog gently lifted the sleeping one and placed her head carefully upon his pillows, pulling the blankets up to her neck. He tip-toed out of the room, extremely cautious to make as little noise as possible. The icemaker in the refrigerator was humming gently, but it seemed much louder from the surrounding silence of the house. Sonic made his way through the kitchen and to the living room, where he plopped onto the squashy couch and fell asleep instantly.

* * *

The memory of the red flower had quickly manifested in a snowball effect so that an archive of uncovered images and situations had depicted themselves in Tails' buzzing mind. The scarlet bloom being destroyed by Cosmo – so unlike her character – was only the first in a sequence of almost a dozen more.

_The image of Cosmo rushing away slid smoothly into another one of her running alongside Sonic, hand in hand. She moved with surprising speed… exactly as her daughter had… __She pulled her hand away and quietly insisted upon walking herself after that._

_Tails' twin tails rotated speedily behind him, Cosmo grasped bridal-style in his arms. She beamed up at him, feeling weightless. Thinking back, she was inhumanly light. Completely insubstantial._

These memories continued to play through Tails' head like a slideshow… all of them pointing to a startling conclusion. Apparently, through touch, Cosmo, and perhaps Hina, could… Tails could hardly believe his skeptical, scientific mind was thinking it, but there seemed to be no other possibility… could _harness_, utilizeother people's strengths, their powers. Knuckles' strength, Sonic's speed… But why, he thought, why had Cosmo never told him? Why had she hastily rushed away, trying to avoid anyone noticing? He felt a stab of hurt; he thought he had known her so well. He was almost certain that she had shared his strong affection… even love, but why had she kept this from him? Did she have other powers, such as Hina's flying and plant-growing? Again, he felt sick and confused. Pensively, he got to his feet and made his way into the kitchen, checking the clock. It was nearly quarter after nine, and he expected Hina to awake any moment. As if on cue, he heard the gentle patter of her foot prints coming from the hall way.

"Morning, Mipro!" She said cheerfully, skipping into the room with a smile on her face. For a brief moment before he realized she had not shared the night's revelation, Tails couldn't understand how she could be so completely unperturbed. When he remembered that the entire chain of events was completely in his head, he returned her smile queasily.

"Morning, Hina." He said in an unusually high-pitched voice. "Breakfast?"

Hina, not noticing his odd composition, nodded happily and plopped onto one of the kitchen chairs.

"Can I have a banana?"

Tails cocked his head and tore his brain from the troubling thoughts, feeling that it wasn't fair to be cross with Hina because of the turmoil in his own head.

"Is that all you want?" He asked, making quite an effort to keep his tone cheerful.

"Yes, please." She answered, rapping her fingers on the table top pleasantly.

Tails grabbed one of the long, yellow fruits from a little stand of hanging black baskets he used for holding non-refrigerated produce. He handed it to Hina, who thanked him and set to opening it. Tails watched for a moment as she wrestled to tear off the peel, her tongue sticking out in concentration. He was suddenly overcome with an avalanche of too many emotions to sort out. He turned his back to her, eyes clamped tight to hold back tears. Despair, love, loneliness, amusement, exasperation, affection, confusion… He had no idea why her small action of trying to open the banana made him feel so strongly, but suspected that it had to do with lack of sleep and the night's emotional abuse. He took a calming breath and slowly opened his eyes, becoming aware that he had his arms wrapped tightly around himself. As he turned, he saw that Hina, looking at him puzzled and concerned, had resorted to tearing at the still unopened banana with her teeth. Tails tried to laugh, and pulled it out of her mouth.

"I'll do it for you." He said. The top of the banana was ravaged so much that it was not much more than a yellow-brown paste beneath the skin. Tails grabbed a knife, sliced off the mushy top, and handed the peeled fruit to Hina, who took it gratefully.

"Thanks, Mipro." She said with a grin. Tails grabbed a banana for himself and took a seat across from Hina, suddenly ravenous. He gobbled it down after a moment, and then raided the cupboards for other breakfast supplies. Two bowls of cereal later, Tails and Hina sat silently, the latter still chewing one of the last few bites of her banana.

"So," Tails said, desperate for something to occupy his mind, "What do you want to do today?"

Hina looked at the ceiling thoughtfully and swallowed her mouthful. After a moment, she looked back at Tails excitedly.

"Could we go visit Sonic and Amy?"

Tails hesitated, instinctively not wanting to uncover a new power of Hina's. He decided that it would only have been a matter of time before she discovered it, so did not blame Sonic at all.

"Sure." He said with a slightly forced smile. "But not yet, we've got to wait until at least noon. Sonic likes his sleep-ins."

Hina giggled.

"Alright. Could we visit my plants?"

Tails cleared his throat in pity. He didn't wish to tell or show her what remained in the plot of land beside theirs; there was only the faintest trace of green in a forest of dead brown and yellow. What trees still retained their leaves were wilted and close to death. In fact, the jungle had thinned so much that Tails had walked through it the other night without needing to so much as brush a bough out of his face. Suddenly, an idea struck him.

"Hina," He said, choosing his words carefully. "I know what we could do."

She watched him intently.

"Okay! What?"

"Well," Tails began, trying to sound casual and not let his inspiration drown out the conversational tone in his voice. "I have an idea. It's like a sort of test."

Hina smiled widely.

"Okay! Is it a fun test?"

"Oh, yes." Tails replied. "We're going to check something out."

* * *

**A/N:**Oh gosh! What could Tails be trying to figure out?! Will Hina make a good guinea pig?! Which came first, the chicken or the egg?! Will Emma have to throw a temper tantrum for lack of reviews? Well let's hope not. I'm NOT good with temper tantrums. Trust me… you'll want to lock your doors and shield the eyes of young people. _Please_ review. I'm begging you! ON MY HANDS AND KNEES!!! Purdy purdy please… with a cherry on top…

--LA


	10. Chapter Ten

**A/N:**Wowee chapter ten :D! This went so fast! I can't believe it. I'm pretty sure AFS is going to be much longer than Child's Play… I haven't even hit my big climax stuff yet… and Hina hasn't… shhhh. I'll stop now :) Hopefully that left you good and glued to my words. REVIEW!

Anonymous reviews:

Whitespine: Yippee… you're my first anonymous reviewer for AFS. Thank you, I'm honoured ;). And thanks for critique, I totally agree. I do love that critique!

--LA

* * *

What a pretty little list I have! I own Hina, Felix, Gabrielle, Grace, and Leah. You can have everyone else, but I suggest you mind SEGA finding you… their radioactive attack dogs have some sharp-ass teeth. I learned that the hard way.

* * *

"Ready?" Tails asked, a clipboard in one hand and a pen in the other. Hina's blue eyes uncertainly scanned the table before her holding a series of obscure objects, mostly in bright, primary colours, of whose use she had not yet been enlightened. She hesitated slightly, but smiled and nodded her head. From what she had gathered through Tails' concentrated murmurs while setting them up, these were a series of experiments. What part she, Hina, had in them was still a mystery to her.

"Awesome." Tails said, placing his clipboard and pen onto the table and pulling over a piece of pale blue stationary and a fuzzy pencil. Hina giggled and stroked the soft side of the writing utensil, but sobered up as soon as she noticed the passionate, fiercely concentrated, though not unkind look in the Fox's usually soft expression.

"What do I do?" She asked him, trying to seem as mature as she could though she eyed things before her with obvious apprehension. Tails smiled at her reassuringly.

"Don't worry." He said pleasantly, clearly in his element "It's easy."

Hina smiled and nodded again, setting her eyes onto her to-be-assigned task.

"I want you to take the pencil," He told her simply, "and answer the questions on the sheet of paper."

Hina furrowed her tiny brow and pulled the paper towards her. The page contained big, bold script which made no sense to Hina. She squinted at it, but it made no difference. The symbols, which she assumed were letters of the alphabet, appeared as only meaningless characters with amusing shapes.

"I can't." She whispered, her eyes dropping to her shoes to avoid the disappointed look Tails would certainly be giving her now.

"Alright." He said, sounding perfectly normal. Hina peeked up at him and was shocked to see the same, happily concentrated look set on his face as he scribbled something onto his clipboard.

"I'm sorry." Hina whispered, feeling extremely disappointed with herself.

"Don't be!" Tails remarked brightly, finishing his note with a happy jab of the pen. Before Hina could respond, Tails placed the blue, fuzzy pen into her little hand again, and put a hand reassuringly onto her shoulder. "Try again."

Fairly confused and quite certain that she would not be able to succeed, Hina turned back to the blue paper before her. Miraculously, the once empty and meaningless series of symbols seemed to somehow make sense. The first line of large text did not, as she had expected, contain letters, but numbers. '1+1', they read. Somehow, Hina recognized the symbols and understood. She uncertainly placed the tip of the pen onto the paper, her hand quaking slightly. She made a messy little loop. '2'. Hina stared at her own inexplicable handiwork in ecstatic shock. Though it seemed impossible, Tails looked even more pleased than her.

"Great." He said, cheerfully scribbling something down onto the clipboard, his hand still pressed firmly on her shoulder.

"How…" Hina began quietly, staring at her own hands in disbelief. Tails peered at her for a moment with a fond smile on his lips.

"You're amazing, you know." He told her. Hina cocked her head and shot his a sceptical look which seemed so overly precocious for her small, immature face.

"No I'm not."

Tails only smiled wider in response to her disbelief.

"You," He told her, gently removing his hand from her shoulder. She gave a heavy blink and looked back down at the paper before her. As if they had never been, the numbers returned to worthless, incomprehensible shapes of ink. Even the ones which she had only just read – and fully understood – returned to forgotten meaninglessness. "have no idea."

* * *

"Cagosolee?" Felix asked on a sudden inspired idea, bits of toast flying out of his full mouth like shrapnel. Gabrielle smiled lovingly at him and patted his mouth with a napkin.

"Chew with your mouth closed, mon chéri." She cooed. This French pet name was one of the only things which Gabrielle continued to use from her European childhood.

"Sorry, Mama." He giggled, swallowing the remains of his bite.

"Now, say it again." The squirrel said in amusement. "In English this time."

"Can I go find Leah, and show her Lucy?" he asked, his mouth finally free of breakfast.

"If you can find her." Gabrielle replied, a bit curious. "Do you remember what floor she was on?"

Felix stared pensively at the plate before him thought for a few moments.

"Yeah!" He cried happily, breaking the silence so suddenly that Gabrielle jumped in her chair.

"Great." She said, a little shaken by the startling noise. "What floor?"

"Nine." He answered happily. Gabrielle checked the clock on the wall of the spacious kitchen, which was extremely nice and clean considering it was in a hotel.

"I don't think she'll still be asleep…"

Felix hopped to his feet excitedly and dashed to the door. Gabrielle laughed.

"Where do you think you are going all by yourself, mister?"

"To see Leah!"

"In this huge place? Not all alone. I will come with you."

Felix crossed his arms.

"No!" he shouted defiantly.

"Why ever not?" Gabrielle asked, choosing to ignore his rude behaviour. His face blushed pink, but he shrugged and resolvedly dropped his gaze, allowing her to march to his side without protest. Together, they walked through the hallway until they reached the elevator, which Felix sprinted into to push the little number nine button.

"How'll we find her?" He asked, looking slightly apprehensive for the first time that morning.

"I am not sure…" the squirrel replied, leaning on the silver banister. "We can look around and see if anybody goes in or out."

"Okay." Felix said happily. If Gabrielle was not particularly concerned, neither was he. The lift gave a little _ping _and halted with a jerk. Felix hopped out and peered in both directions up and down the hall as if about to cross a busy street.

"Where you think she is?" he asked curiously, clearly wondering which way to search first.

"Eenie, menie, minee moe." Gabrielle chanted Felix beamed up at her, and joined in with her little rhyme, pointing his finger in alternate directions with each syllable. "Catch a tiger by the toe!"

The elevator door closed behind them.

"If he hollers, let him go,"

The lift behind them opened once again, and they heard several light footsteps.

"Eenie, meing, minee-"

"Moe!" cried a cheerful, familiar voice from behind them. Felix turned on his heel to see Leah standing with what he assumed were parents, an adult in each hand, her mother on the right and father on the left. The man was wearing an oddly empty, blank look on his face.

"Hi Leah!" cried Felix, beaming at her.

"Hey, Felix." She replied, pulling him into a tight hug. Her mother gazed down at her lovingly, but her father continued to gaze expressionlessly into thin air with dull eyes.

"Hello." The mother said brightly to Gabrielle, with a little chuckle.

"Hello." She answered, smiling at the children, who were still hugging each other. "Are they not adorable?"

"Yeah." The mother replied fondly. "I'm Leah's mom, Lisa."

"So nice to meet you." Gabrielle said, shaking the panda's hand, which was oddly small.

"And this is Carlos." She said. It was obvious from the way she deliberately slowed down her voice that Carlos was... unusual. "Say hello, dear."

He murmured something in a deep, cracked voice, but his empty eyed expression did not change. Ignorant to the heart wrenching revelations going on above them, Leah and Felix broke the rather awkward silence above which was forming.

"Come on!" Felix told her, tugging at her hand. "I've gotta show you this!"

"Okay!" Leah cried excitedly, and the two children rushed back into the elevator, leaving the three adults behind them.

* * *

**A/N:**Sorry about the shortness and the bad ending... and the bad beginning... and middle 0.o. I'm having a bad week. I mean a really bad week. My uncle died, and his wife had stroke, and they don't think she's going to make it. Plus my brother was in the hospital the other night recovering from surgery, and our really good family friend might have colon cancer. It's just hard because it's all happening at once. God I'm such a little soap opera :! But see, I'm such a little trooper that I did this chapter for you guys. I'm going to my friend's party this weekend at his camp, so I'm not going to be on 'til lateish on Sunday. I would absolutely love to come back to an inbox full of reviews. My goal for AFN is to have ten reviews in one chapter. Please?

--LA


	11. Chapter Eleven

**A/N:**Thanks so much to everyone for your oh-so-sympathetic reviews :D! I really am okay. I had the best weekend at the partay, and came back to twelve emails. Unfortunately, only four were from FF, and just three of those were reviews T.T! Oh well. I'm starting to think I should try that thing where I demand a certain number of reviews before the next chapter. But you know, I really wouldn't be able to go through with that. Or would I?! I think I'd have to make it… five. That'd be pretty fair, no? Meh. I'm too lazy to actually do it.

--LA

* * *

Blergh I'm getting tired of writing these :K. I'm going to bribe all of SEGA's lawyers with banana's and peanuts… let's see 'em sue then! Emma triumphant ONCE AGAIN :D!.. but that would involve getting up, and we all know I'm too lazy for that sort of thing.

* * *

Together. They had always been together; more than a dozen long forgotten creatures literally living in the walls of a thriving society. Their cultures had long since been mingled and twisted together, then forced into a depressing mould, leaving them contorted and distortedly conjoined. Not one of their numbers seemed to know why or how the small community sprouted in such an unusual place. They lived to survive, and visa versa. What food could not be stolen by night from the kitchen was grown in primitive gardens of minimal fertility, the products of which were always undersized and scarcely edible.

Three orphaned youth led their empty lives in this squalor of existence. The youngest was a tiny mouse, only months old. Due completely to her young age, her silvery fur still managed to feel soft and downy despite hygienic abuse. A young cat of about eight remained constantly by her side, a sort of makeshift older brother. His obsidian fur was matted from a young life full of grime and pain, yet his tangerine eyes remained vividly sharp. The eldest of the three was a rabbit. She had a pretty face hidden by fifteen years of dirt through which kind, chocolate brown eyes only just managed to shine. Days were monotonous and innumerable, but one stood out from the rest as such momentous excitement had never before been seen by the trio.

The figurative morning arrived as every other had; by the sounds of distant footfalls and the muffled, cheerful voices of the early rising inhabitants of the station from far below. One by one, the stowaways in the ceiling raised their filthy heads, ready for another day of their dark, excruciatingly repetitive lives. As usual, the first to rise was the perky black cat, his youthful orange eyes emitting the most minuscule amount of hope to the much older members of their tiny society. He got to his feet, trying to count his blessing as was his customs each doleful dawn. Nothing came to mind except for his usual thanks; for his two friends, for the gorgeous glowing ruby in the center of their "home" which was supposed to be good luck, and for being short enough to not need to crouch because of the low ceiling.

He knew that their entire world was contained in the insulating pocket between the ceiling of the station below and a wall behind which was nothing but endless space. The idea of being only a metallic wall, however high-tech, away from fathomless nothingness was terrifying to the small boy who was thrust so prematurely into great responsibilities, but he refused to admit it as their culture greatly looked down upon weaknesses such as fear. Blocking the disconcerting thought from his mind, the cat turned to the two things which comforted him most in his entire world; the tiny mouse to whom he acted almost as a father figure, and the kind-hearted rabbit who he idolized so for her calm, enduring composedness and beautiful personality and face. Though much older than the other two, she remained ever loyal to her self-assigned duty of injecting as much motherly love and affection that she could into their hollow lives.

Slowly, she awoke and greeted the cat with her usual sweet, gentle smile and lifted the tiny bundle which was the mouse from a pile of rags beside her which substituted the makeshift straw beds used by the adults to sleep on. The cat knew how much she resented that their entire lives depended on stealing from the hardworking society below, who knew nothing of their most certainly unwanted stowaways high above their unknowing heads. Though the children were not allowed to accompany the few who dared to make night trips to the kitchens, they knew much about the rich culture below them. The cat developed quite a talent of picking up stitches of information from the adult's conversations and from the chain of muffled voices below which became like a heartbeat to them; so consistent that they learned to be selectively deaf and ignore them.

Whatever he learned he shared with the rabbit as the mouse was still far too young to understand their situation. She did not seem to be quite as interested as he was, but still listened intently and even produced a steady input of productive ideas and questions which helped the cat in his attempts of figuring out exactly why they were there.

"Maybe they worship it?" she suggested one day in the usual whisper they had been trained from birth to use.

"A tree?" he asked with a bit of scepticism shadowing his low voice. The rabbit shrugged.

"It could be." She answered, absent-mindedly picking pieces of ground-in grime from her long ears. "We know that they are smart… They would have to be to build all of this."

"But you have heard how they talk about it… It must be important to them."

"I am getting so tired of this!" he exclaimed in the closest thing to a shout he dared use. The rabbit knew exactly that he spoke of their origin, and completely shared his emotions.

"I know." She said wearily, gently putting a comforting hand on his arm. "But what can we do?"

Suddenly, a flash of hard determination appeared in his eyes.

"You always ask that." He said flatly. "And I always give you the same answer; nothing. Well I'm tired of nothing. I am going down there."

The rabbit stood up in shock, her head bumping the ceiling.

"You know we cannot do that!" she said, sounding afraid.

"But Va-"

"It would be too selfish. If you were found, you would destroy all of our lives."

"Do you think I would be that careless?"

"Of course not. But if you were caught-"

"I need to do this." The cat said softly, dropping his gaze. "I have got to know."

The rabbit opened her mouth in protest, but slowly shut it again and nodded.

"I understand." She said, a look of determination appearing on her face. "When are we going?"

"We?" He asked in alarm.

"Of course. You are not going down there all by yourself."

"But-"

"Either I come, or you don't go at all."

The cat looked as though he might protest, but sighed, and nodded once in grudging approval.

"When are _we _going?" she repeated firmly, her brown eyes surveying him.

"As soon as we can."

"You know," she said with uncharacteristic slyness in her voice "There is no time like the present."

The cat grinned.

"Let's go now," He said on a sudden impulse to do something drastic "before everyone else is up."

The rabbit nodded seriously, tucked the tiny mouse into her bed, and tiptoed towards where they had seen the brave adults depart, carefully avoiding stepping on any sleeping bodies. Behind her back, the cat snuck aside to snatch the glorious red gem from its perch. Some good luck was the least of what they would need, but it was a good start. He hurried through the cramped compartment after her, carefully avoiding stepping on any stray limbs or digits. After a moment of silent walking, the rabbit knelt down beside a promising latched door on the dirty floor. She held her ear to the ground, the fur on her cheek picking up some of the grime, marking her face half grey. She brushed it away and carefully pulled the latch.

Below them came a sight neither was prepared for. A sparkling room with white walls and handsome, dark countertops sat only metres beneath their homely dwelling. Never before had their young eyes met so much bleached whiteness. The cat suppressed a gasp, but the rabbit could not contain her amazement. Without considering who or what might be waiting below, she dropped into the clean room, silent except for the tiny patter of her bare feet hitting the tile. Shaking himself from an amazed daze, the cat hastily followed after her, not daring to make a sound. He grabbed her around the wrist and pulled her under a nearby table, the most sheltered spot he could find at a glance. She blinked heavily, and her eyes fell upon a tall, streamline door at the opposite end of the room.

Before the cat could stop her, she glided in an almost dreamlike state towards it. Beside the doorframe there was a silver screen with a list of words. Though she could not read, the rabbit held her finger out and touched it to the monitor. Instantly, the door glowed white. The shining ceased just as quickly as it had appeared. Not completely aware of what she was doing, she pushed open the door. The cat shot out from under the table, almost screaming in protest. Before he could reach her, however, the rabbit walked through the door frame into a mercifully empty hallway which ended in a tall door. EXIT. Despite her illiteracy, this was one of the few words the adults had ever bothered to tell the children. She didn't even consider anything but leaving. It seemed like the only option. Because it seemed like the proper thing to do, she randomly jabbed her finger into a second monitor beside the door. 'Mobius'.

The cat caught up with her, instantly understanding what was going on. The two had a silent argument with their eyes consisting mainly of glares, pleading looks and incredulous stares. But there was no changing her mind. The cat turned abruptly, tears in his eyes. Without putting much thought into the action, he chucked the ruby still in his grasp at the rabbit, but missed as he was blinded from tears. The rabbit stared at him at him, looking extremely hurt, and turned on heel to march into the exit, shutting the door on all she had ever known.

The cat could almost feel his heart tear apart in his chest. No longer caring about being caught, he turned away from the door and slowly walked back to the sterile kitchen. How could she leave them like that? Leave him? Tears oozing through his matted fur, he lifted himself through the carefully disguised trapdoor. Once upstairs he glided past stirring bodies and collapsed with shuddering sobs beside the tiny mouse.

* * *

More than thirty years later, Vanilla opened a chocolate eye, heart beating like a hummingbird in her chest.

* * *

**A/N**: Gasp. Can anyone make some connections here :o… Sorry about the ittie-bittie ending paragraph thingy there :P and I know this chapter looks pretty short, but it's just made up of fat chunks of writing with very little dialogue. It actually has a pretty fair word count. Speaking of which, I was just wondering if I'm the only person who is SUPER obsessed with the wordcount button on Microsoft Word. Like I check it every sentence, sometimes more. Does anyone else do that :P? Ahh well. Please review :)! 

--LA


	12. Chapter Twelve

**A/N:**I'm watching Princess Mononoke while writing this :P. Does any one else know that movie? I remember my uncle showed it to me when I was like eight, and I was all scared of it XD. Wow… it is creepy 0.o! Also, I went to see I Am Legend on Friday. It was so good… and I only screamed TWICE :D! And that's big for me, as I'm like duper bad with scary movies. I put off starting to write this chapter in hopes that I might get a review on the last one. I've never. Ever. _Ever. EVER._ Had zero reviews on a chapter. I know it was because I uploaded at a bad time, when the reviews were broken, but still! I'm heartbroken. It tore my self-esteem apart; and that was one of the few chapters I didn't despise! Plus it was a different sort of style compared to how I usually write, and I was really looking forward to seeing how you guys would respond… would you guys mind giving me some critique on it when you review this time :$... Or better yet, go back and give me a second review for chapter eleven?! This is getting terribly long. But, any takers…?

--LA

* * *

Yawnereffic. Same old same old…

* * *

The two children bounced on their heels excitedly, waiting for the ping which would announce their arrival at floor thirty-four.

"Why does our room have to be so high?" Felix asked impatiently. Leah looked slightly taken aback at his annoyance, and his cheeks flushed an apologetic pink.

"Don't worry." She told him in her usual, confident tone, "My mamma says that patience is a fur chew."

"Fur chew?" Asked Felix, his eyebrows furrowed. Leah shrugged.

"I dunno. She says it's something boys don't have, though." She paused thoughtfully for a moment, then grinned and raised her index finger into the air before her. "Patience is a fur chew, possess it if you can." She chanted, "Seldom found in women, never found in men."

They met each others eyes, and both broke into a fit of giggles, that grew into a full-throttle laugh-attack, powered only by one another's amusement. The long awaited ding of the elevator arrived, though they could hardly hear it over each other's giggles. Felix grabbed her hand, tugging her out into the hall, and back to his room, opening it with a little credit card which was, according to Gabrielle, the key. He excitedly led her through the kitchen and to his room. He gently lifted little Lucy off of a turquoise stone placed in her aquarium. He placed her onto Leah's hand.

"Isn't she great?" Felix said ecstatically, gently stroking the suddenly bleached octopus resting on Leah's white gloved hand. She grinned widely and nodded with great vigor.

"She's so pretty, Felix."

He beamed back, looking extremely happy with himself, and gazing proudly at the little invertebrate which brought so much pleasure into his panda friend's expression.

"So pretty." He repeated softly, though his eyes weren't resting on the same beauty that hers were.

* * *

"Mipro," Hina said with a huge yawn, dropping her head exhaustedly onto the huge book on the table before her. "I'm too tired to do any more… it's no fun any more."

Tails gave the weary child a sheepish, apologetic smile.

"Sorry, Hina." He said softly, cradling her into his arms. Tails knew she was not aware of the incredible revelations which had occurred that day. When, he wondered as he gently placed sleeping Hina onto her bed, would her all of her amazing talents finally reveal themselves?

Tails tip-toed out of the room with a fond smile. Little Hina had no idea how powerful she was. How incredibly powerful. He wondered when she would next "evolve" as she had those four months ago. Would it take a significant event to trigger it, such as Cosmo's sacrifice, or would she simply… change? His chain of thoughts left Hina, though, and fell upon the development of the next-door lot. The base of a good-sized house had been built over the past couple of nights. During the day, a semi-constant stream of hammering and shouting acted as a constant reminder of the nearby construction. He desperately hoped that the new neighbors would be friendly so that at least one good thing would come out of the loss of Hina's plants which were now completely destroyed.

He wearily contemplated what type of person he would most want for a neighbor. The first thing which came to mind was a friend for Hina; someone her own age who she could really be close to. Tails felt a sudden surge of loneliness and glanced at the clock in hopes that it was not too late to call up a friend. He sighed. It was half-past twelve, too late to call anyone. He would have gone to bed himself were it not for the fact that he felt excruciatingly wide awake.

He decided to go over what he knew about Hina. The first thing which came to mind was her powers and that mysterious, icy blue stone which seemed to power all of her amazing strengths. He knew that she could fly, and simply produce light using it, but so much more was developing; her newfound ability to, though simple touch, adopt other's strengths. This ability though, Tails know, should be tested further using different people rather than jus himself. He also wondered it Cosmo shared any of these powers, just hid them from the others. Thinking about that made him feel slightly betrayed.

"No." He muttered firmly. "She wouldn't do that."

Shaking himself from falling into those dreaded thoughts of Cosmo, he got to his feet and marched into the workshop, determined to distract his mind which seemed to be quite persistent on tormenting him. He cast around, desperate for anything to occupy himself. He took a seat at one of the several silver tables and snatched a random, half finished machine from a far corner and began randomly tinkering with it, not really paying much attention to exactly what he was doing. He jabbed a screwdriver into a small cavity, jumping back instantly as an electric shock shot up his arm. He withdrew his hand, eyeing the newly singed glove with a grimace. He jogged into the kitchen, index finger in his mouth though it hardly helped with the pain. He made to turn the tap and soothe the electrical burn with cool water, but knocked over a picture frame in the process.

He pursed his lips painfully to suppress a yelp. As far as he was concerned, memories came before pain. He gently picked up the shattered glass, feeling a lump forming in his throat even before his eyes fell upon the photo. He felt his heart break all over again, shattered like the glass of the frame. It was a photo of all of them; Sonic, Amy, Knuckles, Tails and Cosmo, and even the Chaotix Team. Sure, the frame could be replaced. But even then, he would always know that the heart it was still destroyed beyond repair.

If only, he thought sadly, there was some way he could go back and stop it from ever happening.

"There's an idea." He muttered thoughtfully, placing the broken photograph back onto the counter. A time machine… that would certainly keep him occupied. Although completely lost about where to begin and seriously doubted he could manage such a feat, he ignored the stinging burn on his finger and marched away into the workshop.

* * *

Shaking slightly, Vanilla pressed a cool, damp cloth to her forehead. Over the past hour since that disturbing dream, it had been as though a little Dutch boy deep in her mind had finally collapsed from holding his finger in a flaw in the dike of her emotions. There had been a constant flow of overpowering feelings. Guilt, however, lead the parade.

"Mother?" called Cream from somewhere in the house. Vanilla gathered herself, wiping her face. She got to her feel and flattened the wrinkles in her dress.

"Yes, Cream?" She called back, her voice shaking slightly. She heard a knock at the door. "Come in, Dear."

"Mother?" Cream asked uncertainly, stepping inside. "Are you alright? You sounded upset."

Vanilla smiled at her daughter.

"I'm fine, Cream. Thank you."

Cream smiled sweetly.

"Okay. May I please go and see Amy today?" she asked, her hands clasped.

"I don't see why not."

"Thank you, Mother."

She skipped out of the room, leaving Vanilla alone once again with nothing but her thoughts and the little Dutch boy, who had finally awaken and resealed the flow of emotion. Vanilla took a deep breath, returning as close as she could get to her usual, composed self.

* * *

**A/N:**Eww… I really dislike this chapter : REALLY dislike it. I'm sorry :P It's so short, and has ssuuch an ugly ending. As I said up top, if you wouldn't mind, when you review, could you tell me how you liked the differentish style I used on chapter eleven :)? Or even better, go back and give me one for that chapter too :D! Thanks for reading ;) Bear with me, next one's going to be better. Promise ;)

--LA


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**A/N:**Hmm… four reviews… I'm okay with that :) Four is a good amount. I'm just not cool with three or less. I can't wait for the day I'm so popular that responding to reviews starts to be a hassle because I get so many. Won't that be amazing :D!? As The Queen of Wishful Thinking, I say that it will happen one day :3! And, as promised, this one is going to be much better than the last one. Which I… strongly… dislike…

Anonymous Reviews:

Ri2: Thanks :P You never know ;), maybe Tails will get it...

--LA

* * *

Wouldn't it make an interesting plot twist if I suddenly revealed that I am not, in fact, Emma… but SomenamewhichEmmaistoolazytoresearch, the owner of SEGA?! (pause for dramatic gasps…gasp…). Too bad I'm not. Therefore, I do not own any characters except for my usual list.

* * *

Ant by terrified red ant scurried quickly back to their besieged home. The imminent danger of the queen took priority over the bounty of food which the scouts had discovered. 

"Look, Mipro!" boomed the giant from high above their numerous, panicked heads. Suddenly, a second giant jogged up beside the first. This new goliath was, if possible, even larger and more threatening than the first.

"Hina!" it cried, "Watch out! That's an anthill!"

The first, smaller one yelped as the faithful worker ants climbed up her legs and sunk their tiny pincers into her soft skin. Effective as always, their stinging bites caused her to lift into the sky in escape, desperately brushing the tiny attackers from her legs. Tails held her a few feet into the air, far above the ant's angry bites, and jogged away, kicking insects from his own leg as he went.

"Stop!" cried a commanding voice from a few meters away. Suddenly, the stinging pain of biting ants ceased. Puzzled but relieved, Tails placed Hina gently on a park bench and turned on his heel. His eyes met a much shorter individual than he had expected. The little olive green-skinned child who looked around Hina's age seemed much too young to possess such a powerful voice. Suddenly, a wide-eyed panda rushed to his side.

"What did you do?" She asked in amazement, watching the ants parade back to their half-wrecked mound. The little green boy shrugged, gazing at Hina with interest.

"I told them to stop."

Before Tails could ask how exactly, Hina hopped off of the bench and joined the two toddlers.

"Thank you!" She squealed.

"Wanna come play sand monster with us?"

Hina, who had never had the opportunity to be invited into a game with other children her own age, beamed with wide eyes and nodded.

"Yes, please!"

The three skipped back to the sandbox, unaware of how odd the entire situation was. Garbed in high-heels and a silly attempt at casual apparel, a salmon pink squirrel hobbled up to Tails with as much grace as she could muster considering the earthy terrain.

"Hello!" She said happily, with a tinkling laugh. Tails smiled back up at her. For a mobian, she was staggeringly tall.

"Hey." He replied. She was so familiar looking… but he simply could not put his finger on where he had seen her before.

"I see you have met Felix and Leah." She chuckled, fondly watching the three new friends playing in the sand box.

"Yeah." Tails said, grinning. "They're adorable."

"Thank you so much." She gushed.

"Are they both yours?" Tails asked. The whole conversation was beginning to feel unpleasantly like a mother-to-mother chat.

"Oh, no. Only Felix." She explained, laughing again. "We met Leah at the hotel we are staying at. You see, we are moving into a new home. Just over there, actually."

Tails almost didn't want to look where she was gesturing out of fear that it might not be the no longer empty lot beside them. He turned his head, hoping for the best. To his great excitement, her manicured finger pointed straight to the half-developed lot. He felt a tiny pinch of dislike in his naval, no doubt because he was now face to face with the murderer, or at least accomplice of Hina's plants. However, the unpleasant emotion was drowned out by joy; Hina _would_ have a friend her own age living next door.

"That's great!" he said happily. "We live right next door."

"How wonderful!" She exclaimed "Felix will be so excited. I am Gabrielle, by the way."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Tails."

Without another word, she flounced off in the direction of the sandbox. Tails smiled fondly. Little Felix had seemed perfectly charming; a perfect friend for sweetheart Hina.

"Hey, Tails!" the kitsune heard from the somewhere behind him. Knuckles marched to his side looking mutinous, a crumpled piece of paper scrunched into an angry fist. Tails gulped; nothing good could come from Knuckles in such a testy mood.

"What's up?" Tails asked nervously, afraid that saying anything might touch a nerve in the fuming echidna.

"It's goddamn Rouge again." His plum eyes softened for a split second, but promptly returned to glaring.

"What happened?"

Knuckles thrust the wrinkled photo into Tails' face, so close that the poor fox had to go cross-eyed to get the picture into any focus. Taking a step back, the photo cleared up so that he could make out a sparkling blue stone which must have been feet in diameter. Before he could ask what it had to do with Rouge, Knuckles crossed his arms, pulling the photo along with them and out of Tails' sight.

"It's what she's gone to get."

It took Tails a moment to understand exactly what the echidna was referring to, but remembered after a second about Rouge's untimely depart.

"But Knuckles," Tails said sheepishly, choosing his words like each was a knot in his lifeline "You must have known she was going to steal something like that… she always does."

Tails winced slightly as the echidna opened his mouth to make an angry retort, but slowly closed it again, his jaw clenched and a vein in his forehead popped; a dangerous sign.

"I know." He replied, surprising control in his voice. "But I looked it up last night… and it's under insane security. I dunno if even Rouge could do it."

"Knuckles…" Tails said reasonably, "This is Rouge, she's-"

"YOU THINK I DON'T KNOW THAT ROUGE IS THE BEST?" He shouted, but dropped his voice back to normal as heads turned toward them throughout the park, "But Tails, I'm talking lasers… motion and heat sensing cameras… TV secret agent shit!"

"Tails?" came Gabrielle's voice, sounding worried. She eyed Knuckles with an interested look upon her face for a moment before turning back to Tails. "Are you alright?"

Knuckles grumbled and stalked off before Tails could even say goodbye.

"I'm fine, thanks." Tails chuckled, knowing that the echidna would be fine.

"Who," She asked in a low voice, "Was that?"

"My friend," Tails said. Afterward, it sounded extremely childish and played over and over in his head. "Knuckles."

"What is wrong with him?"

Tails hesitated in answering, not sure how much information should be disclosed.

"He's just having a bad day."

"What a shame. He seems quite charming."

Tails laughed; charming was not exactly how he would describe Knuckles.

"Well, he's…"

Tails was spared describing exactly what Knuckles was by a loud, excited shriek from one of the young girls. Leah came tearing past a nearby tree, taking refuge behind Tails' back, Hina in close pursuit. They sprinted off towards the sand box again after a moment of running circles around Gabrielle and Tails.

"So how did you meet Leah?" Tails asked brightly. His smile, however, slid away as he saw the sombre expression which had appeared on the squirrel's face.

"Poor dear." She said softly, "Her house burned down and her parents had no insurance. They cannot afford to buy a new home."

Tails felt extremely sympathetic towards bubbly, outgoing Leah.

"And what is worse," continued Gabrielle, "Is that her mother has to do all of the work. Poor Carlos, he is a sweetheart, but he is… well I think challenged is the most politically correct term."

Tails felt sudden remorse for how well he had it; it was unfair for such a young, tiny soul to have to bear so many adult troubles. Before he could say anything, though, Gabrielle let out a dramatic gasp, staring at her wristwatch.

"Oh, I am so sorry, Tails, but we must leave or we will be late! Leah's parents are expecting us home ten minutes ago."

"It was nice talking to you!" Tails called as she rushed away, waving at him. The look on Hina's face as her two new friends were torn, temporarily or not, away from her was utterly heartbreaking.

* * *

Little tendrils of flame shot through the hundreds of windows. People's screams echoed over the thunderous booms of collapsing beams and flying shrapnel. 

A dozen blocks away, the red convertible zoomed down the road, the three passengers unaware of the horror that was about to face them.

"So," Gabrielle said brightly to the two toddlers in the back seats. "How did you like Hina?"

"She was nice!" exclaimed Leah. She had yet to master her 'inside voice'.

"And what about you, Felix?" asked the squirrel, trying to break the silence which Felix had sat in for the entire car ride.

"She was okay." He answered. "She looked like me."

"I know what you mean… She had your eyes and-" The squirrel froze mid-sentence, sniffing the air. "Is that smoke?"

Both of the children craned their necks to find the source of the thick layer of dark smoke which had masked the clouds. The tallest, Gabrielle, was the first to notice the hotel.

"Oh no." She whispered, eyes wide. They were extremely lucky that no cars were coming, as she drove past two stop signs, completely entranced. Both Felix and Leah screamed when the violently blazing building came into their sight.

"Daddy. Mommy." breathed Leah, her voice uncharacteristically low and expressionless.

"Lucy!" shrieked Felix, struggling to escape his car seat. The vehicle pulled up across the street of the building and Gabrielle and Felix hopped out the moment it stopped. Leah, however, only stared at the second life changing fire which had plagued her in the last month.

* * *

**A/N:** Awwh poor thing (u)! (u) is the MSN emoticon for a broken heart for anyone doesn't know. Usually, I wouldn't use it… but I needed to express my broken hearted… ness. I suppose this one is better 0.o… longer at least. And I think I'm going to write a little Christmas oneshot, so I might write that before the next chapter… or maybe the one after. And I bet you think I've forgotten about Grace and Rouge :P… Well I certainly haven't, thank you very much. I just don't have a duper long plot for them so I had to space it out ;)! Please, please review. I want AT LEAST four this time too. Thanks for reading :D! 

--LA


	14. Chapter Fourteen

**A/N:**Wow :D I'm so happy writing this. I upload chapter thirteen before bed, go to school the next day, then go to music, then have supper… then finally get a chance to go on the computer… and I find ten emails :D… and all of them were from FF too! Six reviews for chapter 13, and one for 12. Thanks so duper much :D! And as I hope you've seen, I wrote my lil' old holiday story the other day :)! Check it out and review if you haven't already ;)! Merry Christmas :D

--LA

* * *

Rouge belongs to SEGA… and Grace belongs to me. What a surprise.

* * *

Blegh… I have such writer's block… (And yes, that needed its own paragraph).

* * *

Hmm… it is now Boxing Day… my Merry Christmas above is pretty belated… and I have yet to start writing… despite several days of fruitlessly trying to think of a beginning. I'm sorry guys. I will start. Now… Now. NOW!

* * *

Rouge sat crumpled on the couch, switching positions every few moments in a vain attempt at relinquishing herself of the terrible pain in her stomach. She was feeling nauseous and sickly warm. Her sudden illness was, she suspected, from the stifling heat and humidity of the country. She shut her eyes and winced as her torso gave a particularly painful lurch.

Suddenly, a high pitched scream and a loud crash from the kitchen made her fall off of the couch and land roughly on the hardwood floor. She got to her feet, ignoring her aching waist, and dashed towards the source of the sudden noise. Standing, wide eyed and terrified, in middle of the room, a smashed plate at her feet, was Grace. There were shards of glass spread across the white tiles. Rouge thought she looked extremely odd without her normal, controlling air, but actually felt slightly sorry for her.

"What happened?" the bat asked. Grace raised a shaking finger to point at the wall. Rouge turned on her heel, but her eyes met only a blank wall with a tiny wall lizard. These tiny reptiles were so common that Rouge had become completely used to them, though the first time she saw one it did give her a bit of a start.

Extremely annoyed at being shaken from her spot on the couch, she irritable snatched up a magazine and swatted the tiny lizard so that it fell, dead, to the floor.

Grace shook herself, then looked furious.

"Rouge!" She cried, marching towards the sickly bat, her white boots crushing bits of glass in her wake.

"What?" Rouge said in defensive surprise, having expected gratitude.

"You killed it!" The plum fox shouted back, kneeling beside the little dead body and picking it up with a tissue.

"Um, yeah." Rouge replied indignantly, an eyebrow raised. "You were the one who-"

Her sentence broke off, however, as she felt her stomach tighten warningly. A hand shooting to her mouth, she sprinted to the washroom, plunging her face inches from the toilet bowl, suddenly sweating profusely. She took a rasping breath before vomiting, only just making it to the target.

A few, rather violent moments later, she sat panting on the floor of the bathroom, head resting on the cool sink, and feeling a fraction better. A knock at the washroom door came, and she hesitated in answering.

"Just a second." She called in response, feeling slightly proud at how strong her voice sounded, considering how unpleasant the past few moments had been. She got to her feet shakily. It seemed that the sudden bout of sickness had ended with a bang. She opened the door to reveal Grace, looking as angry as before.

"I can't believe you killed him!" She said venomously.

"I killed _it,"_ Rouge said in angry defense, still shaken, "because you were screaming your head off over it."

"But it was a life…" She said darkly. "What makes that life worth anything less than yours?"

Rouge only surveyed her for a moment in disbelief with an eyebrow raised.

"It was a freakin' lizard." She said flatly, surprised at how much of Knuckles she could hear in her own voice.

"So?" Grace said, sounding a bit crazed, "It was still a life."

Rouge actually felt pity towards her at the way her voice sunk into a quiet tone at the end of her preaching. Grace clearly felt very strongly about this.

A wave of empathy caught Rouge off guard, almost causing her to sob. Determined to change the subject, the uncomfortable bat-whose stomach had at last settled-turned to the subject of retrieving the sapphire. Luckily, this was usually a topic which brought out the most irritatingly superior manner of Grace.

"So," Rouge said loudly, marching out of the washroom, "take me through the plan again."

Just as hoped, Grace snapped back into her usual, controlling skin.

"Do you need your memory checked, or something?" She asked briskly, though Rouge could tell that she was thrilled to retell her self-proclaimed brilliant, flawless plan. She pulled a carefully marked blueprint of the museum from beneath the table "Okay. Today's Saturday. So we're going to go by the museum on Thursday to check that everything's still the same as when we went yesterday."

Rouge frowned. This part of the plan always bothered her.

"But why? It's not like they're going to change anything."

"You won't say that when the stone exhibit gets moved across the museum to where the mummies were."

Rouge rolled her eyes, but shrugged, knowing that there was no winning this battle.

"Then," continued Grace confidently, dropping her voice into a tone one might use to describe a high-profile assassination, the exact same which she had used at this point in her speech the last five or six times she had explained the plan to Rouge. "We'll come back later that night at exactly three in the morning- half an hour after the guard should fall asleep from the sedation pills we'll put in his coffee when we go by that day. We go in through the fourth window from the east, on the second floor. That takes us into the dinosaur exhibit. Then-"

"Unless they've replaced the dinosaur exhibit with the men's washroom." Rouge interjected with sarcastic worry. "You know we were lucky to find that broken lock."

Grace glared at her, but ploughed on.

"_Then,_ we take two rights and a left, down the stairs, and another right. Straight down that hall will be the rocks. It should be really highly guarded; I saw lasers at the base of the doorway. They were off then…" her voice filled with boastful pride as she continued, "but I could see them. The museum had cameras all over the place too. So we need to watch that as well.

"You're going to fly through the lasers, and grab the sapphire."

Apparently, Grace recognized how Rouge's eyes glazed over slightly.

"And," she added sharply, "Don't take anything else. Don't even touch anything else."

Rouge sighed.

"I know." She said. However, she couldn't help but fantasize the gorgeous jewels, which were unjustly cooped up inside, being in her possession. What breathtaking rings they would adorn.

Unfortunately, she was snapped back to reality as Grace's fiery glare singed the corners of her daydream.

"I know." She repeated flatly. Grace looked content with how far away she had pushed Rouge from stealing anything off limits.

"Alright." Grace continued "After that, we-"

Rouge got to her feet abruptly as a sudden surge of irritation and an urge to hit Grace flowed through her blood. She bit her lip to suppress shouting, and turned on her heel to leave the room. It was strange, but her body seemed more than willing to do anything on a whim. As she streaked into the hotel hallway, an unexplainable whiff of well-cooked toast met her nose. She sniffed and turned her head. The toaster was empty, the kitchen table bare… The bat dismissed at a waft from outside and turned back to departing the room.

"Rouge!" Shouted Grace angrily, marching into the room. The bat glanced over her shoulder at Grace jogging through the kitchen. Rouge was in no mood to talk. She glared at Grace stonily for a moment from the hallway before slamming the door in her face.

Grumbling, Rouge stomped down the hall with a murderous look on her face. What made Grace boss? She wondered mutinously. Her "brilliant plan" had so many loop holes and flaws. Rouge stepped into the elevator, paying to heed to where her feet were taking her.

Once alone in the small space of the elevator, her mind caught up to her harsh body which seemed to be getting less and less under its control. What had even set off her angry reaction, which was beginning to seem more and more melodramatic as the elevator descended? Now that she thought about it, her behavior had been getting steadily rasher over the past few days. Perhaps it was simply being with Grace for so long, perhaps it was hormones.

Rouge greatly resented hormones. She hated the idea that her entire personality could be influenced by a certain time of month.

* * *

**A/N:**… Sniff T.T! Are you guys reading the same story as I'm writing?! 'Cause if you are I'm amazed and impressed that you made it to the end. Ewwww it's disgusting! It's like… an earwig squashed under a pair of ugly boots! I strongly dislike earwigs. And ugly boots. Bleghh DX. I promise to pay for the keyboards which were ruined by all of the vomit I've induced. I'm so sorry :(. I've been trying… but my mind won't cooperate. You guys have no idea how badly I had writer's block :! Like it took me like a week or two to even start! Maybe it wasn't that long since the last chapter… hmmm… I've lost track of time. Ahh well. Sorry again :(. Please review :)! I've gotten six on the last two chapters… and I'd love to break that… hinthintwinkwinknudgenudge…

--LA

P.S: Sorry D:!


	15. Chapter Fifteen

**A/N:**hmm well, we are now on chapter fifteen. That's how long Child's Play was. Goodness this is going to be a long story. We have fifty-one reviews, at least we do when I'm writing this. That's pretty confusing 0.o… so I will move along. Child's play has fifty-eight reviews, which means that we need seven more to tie with it… and eight to beat it. I completely blame chapter eleven. Darn that chapter eleven :\. Enjoy chapter fifteen :D!

--LA

* * *

I'm too lazy to write another of these right now. Wanna fight about it?! I didn't think so.

* * *

Although the world was black, the pink hedgehog could feel warm hands covering her eyes as she felt her way through the hall way.

"Can't I just close my eyes?" Amy asked anxiously, ineffectively trying to wiggle her head out of the makeshift blindfold. There came a giggle from below.

"No, Amy!" Cream squealed, tightening her hold over Amy's eyes. "It's important that you don't see your surprise yet!"

Amy crossed her arms, but chuckled in defeat.

"Alright… but I can't wait much longer, Cream." She said in amusement. She was puzzled at what surprise was coming her way… and what the occasion was; it wasn't her birthday for months, it was the middle of April and Easter had passed… no holidays nearby… Amy was stumped.

Suddenly, the blinded hedgehog marched straight into something hard, and felt little Cream walk into her, squashing her into what felt like a wall.

"Oh, Mr. Knuckles!" Cream cried, helping Amy off of the wall and removing her hands. Amy blinked a few times as her eyes adjusted to the light and realize that they were now in Vanilla and Cream's cozy, warm kitchen. At the far side of the room, Knuckles sat on a stool beside the counter, his eyes wide and guilty, his mouth bulging, hands frosted nearly as much as the cake its self. Before him on the counter, a cake which must have been once-glorious now had a large chunk taken out of it. Cream looked partly heartbroken, and yet mildly amused. She glanced apologetically at Amy.

"I'm sorry." She said, as Knuckles hurriedly swallowed his mouthful. Amy laughed.

"Don't be sorry, Cream." She said in amusement, and turned to Knuckles with an eyebrow raised. "I'm sure Knuckles would be happy to explain."

The echidna smiled nervously, glancing back and forth between the two waiting females, and wiped some pink frosting from his lips.

"Vanilla said I could help myself to anything in the kitchen."

"Well," Cream laughed, hands on her hips, a jokingly stern look on her face, "Were you too concerned about what was inside of it to read the writing on top?"

Knuckles turned, if possible, ever redder. It occurred to Amy at that moment just how old and mature her little friend was getting.

"I was hungry." He grumbled. "I came to get you, Amy. Tails was looking for you."

"Wanted me?" She repeated in surprise. She would have questioned him more, but years of close friendship told her that little Cream desperately wanted to finish explaining the reason for her now partly eaten cake.

"What was your cake for, Cream?" Amy asked kindly, ignoring Knuckles as he began to explain.

"Well it was for you." She said quietly, blushing. "It was the recipe you gave me last week when I came to visit."

Amy beamed at her.

"You did it?" she asked in amazement. "It took me three tries before I got it right."

"Yes." Cream said, her face turning ever pinker. "Mother wanted to help me… but I didn't let her, because I think she's been sick. She hasn't been acting like herself lately."

Amy and Knuckles gave her a quizzical look

"She was fine when she let me inside." Knuckles said, his head cocked.

"Well," Cream explained, "It's really strange. She'll be normal sometimes, but get all quiet the next. I made her take a nap and I gave her some chicken soup."

Amy chuckled, but felt concerned for Vanilla.

"That was thoughtful of you."

Cream smiled.

"It's what she does for me when I get sick."

Knuckles crossed his arms and cleared his throat loudly.

"Well she's out of bed now… she let me inside." He said, sounding impatient. "And I've got to go. Amy, go see Tails. See you guys."

Cream smiled at him and waved.

"See you." Amy said with a yawn. She turned back to Cream as the echidna left the room. "What did the cake say before Knuckles got into it?"

"It said 'thanks for being a great friend Amy'." She said happily, beaming.

"That's so sweet, Cream." Amy said softly, pulling the little rabbit into a huge hug. The two girls squeezed each other for a moment, then broke apart. "I'm sure it still tastes good, though."

"Ooh!" Cream squealed, hopping to grab plates. "You want some?"

"Yes, please." Amy replied with a wink. Cream bounced back, beaming, and sliced two pieces of fluffy cake onto them. "Thanks."

"You're welcome!" Cream giggled, grabbing a pair of forks and handing one to her guest.

The two girls ate the delicious desert in relative silence, except for a few "mmm"'s from Amy. When their plates sat empty before them, Amy slouched back in her chair.

"That was really great, Cream." She said, rubbing her full stomach. "Much better than when I made it."

Cream shook her head and scrunched up her nose.

"No." She said, dabbing her mouth with a little paper napkin. "I tried yours. It was much moister than mine."

Amy frowned and shook her head.

"You're too hard on yourself." She said dismissively. "Remember, it took me three tries before I got it right."

Cream smiled gratefully at the older girl, and collected both of their plates.

"Thank you, Amy." She said, placing the plates in the sink.

"No problem." The hedgehog replied quietly, watching as the little rabbit rinsed the two plates. It occurred to Amy that Cream really was not so little anymore. She was seven years old - almost half of Amy's thirteen years – but she was so mature, so grown-up; she had certainly proved herself to be equal, if not superior, to Amy at cooking; and her personality had really began to show. No longer was she her old silent, polite, adorably childish self. Little quirks had emerged… Amy had even noticed them in the conversation with Knuckles moments later.

'Were you too concerned about what was inside of it to read the writing on top?' the once shy, quiet Cream had said. There was sarcasm in her voice. Sarcasm had very seldom been found there before, simply because composed little Cream didn't know how to use it.

"Amy?" Cream asked, tapping the pensive hedgehog's shoulder. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah." chuckled Amy, smiling at her worried friend. "I'm fine."

"Good." Cream said happily, flouncing back onto the chair. "You were starting to look a bit like mother for a second there."

"Don't worry." Amy said with a smile "I'm just fine. But I should go… Knuckles said that Tails wanted me."

"Okay." Cream said cheerfully, clasping her hands in her lap. "I wonder what he wanted you for."

"Yeah," Amy said thoughtfully, getting to her feet, "me too."

* * *

The two traumatized toddlers stood together, quaking slightly. Both were sobbing terribly, but the grown woman standing beside them only stood, stony faced, makeup smudged down her cheeks.

Different thoughts passed through all of their troubled heads, though all three were cornered in similar situations.

The tall squirrel, though her face was virtually expressionless, had a war of emotions waging inside of her. The first thing which had crossed her mind upon seeing the smoldering hotel was the shock and horror that practically all of her and Felix's possessions had most definitely been reduced to ashes, despite the valiant effort which had been made by the several dozen fire-fighters who had arrived at the scene.

Unfortunately, the blaze had been so immensely extreme that the top half of the building had been completely annihilated by the massive flames, and stories six and up had been dubbed unstable. There was no retrieving anything.

She also couldn't get poor Leah out of her head. Poor Leah, who seemed to be plagued by fire. It was heartbreaking to see the misery on the small child's dark eyes.

Leah, naturally, was devastated. She had not spoken a work for hours, only huddled sobbing with Felix. Everything was gone. The wound of losing her home had, up until that day, mostly healed over. Unfortunately, this new blow had ripped open the scab. She was emotionally shredded to pieces. Her parents were gone. They were dead. Dead. It still had not completely sunk into her stunned mind.

Felix had suffered a loss, also. He suspected that, somewhere amongst the rubble, a little fried octopus would be sitting, crispy and burnt. Or perhaps Lucy was simply ash. Maybe she had been blown far away, hopefully to the sea or somewhere warm. He remembered how she had always loved perching herself beside the little tank heater.

Leah gave a particularly loud sob beside him. He felt suddenly guilty. Sure, he had lost a pet. She had just lost both of her parents.

"Leah," He whispered, though his voice was cracked from lack of use, and took her face in his hands, "it's going to be okay."

* * *

**A/N:**:)! Well… better than last time, I think . Certainly got written faster. And… I don't want to put too much pressure on you guys… buuutttt… we need eight reviews to beat Child's Play. Pretty please? It would make me _EVER SO HAPPY!_ C'mon guys… I know more than eight people read this. Can't you just do it? Is it that hard? Please?... watch me get thirty reviews now 'cause I'm that convincing B-)!

--LA


	16. Chapter Sixteen

**A/N:**Sniff :P! We didn't exactly make it to Child's Play :P. We're two short T.T!!... Thank you KanatheKyubigirl (anon). So we had four reviews on fifteen. Sniff :(! I know you guys can do better. And am I the only one who's been having FF issues? It's not cooperating too well for me at the moment…

Anonymous reviews: 

KanatheKyubigirl: Thanks :D. If you hadn't noticed, Malam and Pella are getting their background story in this story :). It's been a loonngg time since I got a review on Child's Play. Thanks for that one too :)!

--LA

* * *

It is now 2008… Happy new years again. I have written 32… this is number 33… chapters in all of my… fanfic…ing. Do some research, my friends. Have I ever… once… claimed to own Sonic co.? No, I have not. And I'm not about to start now.

* * *

With a wide yawn, Tails leaned back in his chair until the two back legs slid and he toppled to the floor with a loud crash. He sat on the floor wearily for a moment, rubbing his head where it had made painful contact with the tiled floor. Perhaps it simply was due to his lack of sleep over the past days, but besides a throbbing knee and head, he found himself getting rather comfortable lying on the ground. He relaxed more, leaning his head back. Just as he was about to drop off to sleep in this most unorthodox position, he heard light footsteps entering the room.

"Mipro?" whispered Hina, pattering up to his side. "Are you okay?"

Tails squinted up at her, the bright overhead lights, making her appear blurry. He sat up and smiled at her.

"I'm fine, Hina." He said, pulling her onto his lap. She snuggled into the fur on his chest as she so often did. As far as she was concerned, Mipro's fuzzy body was more comfortable than any bed. "Why are you up so late? I put you in bed an hour ago."

Hina smiled sheepishly.

"I'm sorry." She said, snuggling deeper. "I was thinking about Felix and Leah."

"How did you like them?" Tails asked, deciding that there was no harm in letting her stay up with him for a few more minutes. He himself was utterly exhausted. He had been up late the past few nights tinkering with the time machine, on which he had made amazing progress. He was actually surprised how confusing the entire concept was. Never had any project he had set his mind to ever been this perplexing.

Before reading a thick volume on the topic of time travel, he had always thought of time as a sort of measure of… well, the time which had passed. He had thought that all it did was keep track of the length of a day, a month, a lifetime.

But he had been wrong. Incredibly wrong, actually. Yes, time was a way to measure how long the world had been, but it was much more physical than that. It was the fourth dimension. The first dimension was length. A one-dimensional object was a line. It could be nothing more. A two-dimensional object was a flat shape; it had length and height. For example, a square drawn on a page was two-dimensional. Something which was three-dimensional, though, had a depth. Had mass; took up space. It had length, height and depth.

The fourth dimension, however, took a large leap from the others. It was length, height, depth and time. To master time travel, you need to control the fourth dimension of the universe. Tails understood exactly how dangerous attempting this was. One slip-up; one small error, and the universe could come apart at the seams.

Tails had decided that he, by no means, planned on using the machine. Building It was simply something to keep his mind off of his troubles.

"Mipro?" Hina said loudly, waving a hand before his face. Tails blinked, and smiled at her.

"Sorry." He said, getting to his feet with Hina in his arms. "What did you say about Felix and Leah?"

"They were so nice!" She said, beaming up at him. "Felix looked just like me, too! He was really nice. And he tried to show me how he talked to the ants, but I couldn't do it. And he has a pet octopus named Lucy that he told me about and she changes colour, and he was w-"

"Yeah." Tails said with a weary smile as he placed her back in bed. He put a finger over her flailing lips. She closed her mouth and smiled.

"Good night!" she whispered, burying herself into the warm covers of the bed.

"Sleep tight." He replied, doing the usual switch of the two light sources, flicking the overhead light off and the nightlight on. He made his way to his own familiar bed and collapsed into it, thinking about their soon-to-be neighbors.

The glamorous Gabrielle had seemed nice enough, if not a bit snobby. The two children, Leah and Felix, seemed like prime little friends for Hina, who seemed to be quite taken by the latter.

Tails' eyes drooped, and he drifted into content dreams of time traveling salmon pink ants, and shattered glass roses.

* * *

Rouge tapped her foot impatiently, surveying a chicken-sized dinosaur skeleton without much interest. A few feet to her right, very obviously in her element, Grace was briskly ensuring that the window through which they planned on entering could not be locked.

"Try and learn some of the things I'm doing so _we_ don't get caught." She said conversationally, stopping her business for a moment to gaze irritably at Rouge.

The bat rolled her eyes.

"You worry too much." she said, arms crossed.

"You don't worry at all!" Grace replied venomously.

"I" Rouge said flatly, "worry about how much I can get for the treasure."

"You are the most immature-"

"And," The bat continued, "how good it'll look on a ring."

"The most immature child I've ever met."

Rouge didn't answer, but turned her head and surveyed her finger nails. Grace glared at her for a moment, before returning to checking that the next day's heist would be flawless. She finished in silence as Rouge took to flicking little pebbles from the bottom of the exhibits into the mouth of a huge tyrannosaurus rex skeleton.

"I'm going to go to the little girl's room." She announced as one of her little missiles landed in the huge beast's eye socket. "If I'm still allowed to do that, of course."

"Be fast." Grace said, her voice expressionless. "We have to see if we can disable any of the security cameras over by the-"

Rouge didn't hear the rest of what they were to do, however, because she turned a sharp corner and marched towards the bathroom. She felt lucky that Grace had forced her to memorize the museum, as she doubted she would have made it otherwise. Back in the dinosaur exhibit, her stomach had given another painful lurch which she had become quite accustomed to over the past few days.

She sprinted into the washroom and threw herself before a toilet.

Several unpleasant moments later, the bat stood before the sink, wiping her face with a damp piece of brown paper towel.

"What's your problem?" She muttered to her pale reflection. She took a calming breath and shook her limbs. Feeling fairly better, she turned, planning on making her way back to the dinosaur exhibit. However, before she could even take a step, she heard a bathroom stall open from her right.

"You're sick." Came Grace's voice with a tone of concern which Rouge had never heard there before.

"I'm fine." The bat said hastily, snatching a dry paper towel and wiping her face.

"No," Grace said, her voice almost motherly "You're sick. You've been sick all week."

"How did you-"

"I'm going to notice if my partner goes to the washroom to throw up every ten minutes."

"Have you got a habit of hiding in bathroom stalls or something?" Rouge asked impatiently, turning her back to Grace.

"I'm taking you to the hospital." The fox said sternly, jogging to block the doorway.

"I'm fine." Rouge said flatly.

"No." Grace insisted, crossing her arms, "You can't come tonight if you're going to get sick and set off the lasers."

Rouge raised an eyebrow and opened her mouth, but Grace continued.

"We're just going to see if it's a flu, or food poisoning… or if there's something really wrong."

Rouge rolled her eyes, but accepted defeat. She sullenly followed Grace out of the room.

"Couldn't we just wait until after you do your stuff here?" Rouge asked.

"No."

"But-"

"No."

They marched back to the parking lot at a brisk pace. Rouge took a seat in the back, like a sulky child. After an uncomfortably silent drive, they pulled up beside a little hospital. Ever wordless, they made their way inside to the walk-in clinic.

There was a long line before a harassed-looking magenta, female porcupine sitting behind a desk. With a sigh, the two women took their places in the back of the queue.

"Can't we just-" Rouge began, willing to take to Grace calmly.

"No." The fox answered for the umpteenth time. Rouge glared at her, feeling, one again, like a child. Unfortunately, she was now a child with a rather arrogant, self-proclaimed adult.

They stood in silence, taking only a few steps every five minutes or so, each strongly disliking the other.

When it was finally their turn to explain their situation to the flustered porcupine, Grace stepped forward and spoke confidently.

"My friend," she said, gesturing to Rouge, "has been nauseous over the past week or so."

"Has she been experiencing stomach pain?" the magenta porcupine asked dully, chewing on a finger nail.

"Yes."

Rouge sighed and tapped her foot impatiently. She was under the impression, as she so often was when with Grace, that the fox had taken to being the adult of the two. Which, evidentially, gave Rouge the position of the child.

"Doctor Hinduli will see you." The secretary said, gesturing for them to go through a door on her right.

Grace marched in, and Rouge followed irritably in her wake.

* * *

**A/N:**Well, there we are :)! You got a nice physics lesson in there as well. I hope I didn't make any slip ups in explaining that whole business. What do I have to say right now… Well, I went to see Sweeny Todd yesterday. So amazing… go see it. After you review, of course. Gah… there was another thing I wanted to tell you guys too :p… thiinnkkk. Oh yes! Another one of my Dr. Pepper induced dreams :)! I dreamt that there was this whole religion worshiping Hina XD! So I went in to tell them that I invented Hina… but they come after me because Hina had put a bounty on my left hand :/… so they all went after me with silver barber razors (there's Sweeny Todd, I suppose), but they couldn't catch me because I was riding on a magic carpet with Jafar 0.o… Man, I should lay off that Dr. Pepper. Please review :)!

--LA


	17. Chapter Seventeen

**A/N:**I'm starting to think you guys are planning an intervention for my Dr. Pepper problem. Well I've got news for you. It's not a problem, and I can stop whenever I want to. I just don't want to. Moving on, I've noticed that we haven't seen Sonic since chapter nine. So I was all :o… that won't do. I'm planning on sticking him in here. And I've figured out how I'm going to end the story :). No clue how many chapters are left, mind :/. Enjoy B-).

--LA

* * *

Hina, Grace, Gabrielle, Felix… and Leah belong to me. Everyone else… does not.

* * *

The first day of April should have dawned cool and crisp. The sun should have risen, melting the frost clinging like icy leeches to every single blade of emerald grass. It should have been a beautiful spring day. It wasn't. There was no way it could be.

Leah lay crumpled beneath the thin blanket. Her despair was so total that it seemed impossible for the earth to be spinning as it always had. No, today would most certainly be as miserable and hopeless as she was feeling. There was no way the sun could rise when there was a person feeling this unbearably awful. She was sure that as soon as she raised her head, a dreadful, gloomy sky would meet her.

The little panda was shocked when she finally tore the blanket from over her head. All was how it should be. The sky was an astonishing blue and completely cloudless. There was nothing out of the ordinary. Leah felt as though the world was taunting her with its happiness. How could one person be so sad without the entire world tearing apart for heartbreak?

She felt completely abandoned. The world, her world, was the same as always, as if nothing had happened. But something had certainly happened, and it seemed as though the world was refusing to mourn with her; to share her pain. She blinked a tear from her eye and peeked around their makeshift bedroom; Gabrielle's sleek, red convertible with the top pulled over to serve as some form of shelter.

In the seat beside her, Felix was still sleeping. Leah knew that he, at least, shared her suffering. He too had experienced a loss. Poor little Lily. Thinking of this made her feel even worse. She buried her head again under the blankets, sobbing. She tried her hardest to keep the noise down, but, after a few moments, she was bawling uncontrollably.

She lost track of time for a while. It could have been a few minutes, or an hour before she felt a gentle hand on her back.

"Leah?" Gabrielle said softly. For some reason, the squirrel's gentle voice and delicate accent were strangely comforting. Without thinking, Leah flung the blanket from herself, and threw herself into the shocked squirrel's lap, now wailing.

"Mama?" Leah heard Felix say groggily. Gabrielle made a sharp hissing sound to hush him. She returned to stroking Leah's forehead.

"It is going to be alright." She whispered, brushing a dark curl from her face. Leah looked up, dark eyes red and watery. Both Gabrielle and Felix were gazing down at her. The younger one looked concerned and pitying, but the older looked tender, and completely motherly.

"We will be alright." She repeated softly, pulling both children into a tight hug. She felt certain that it was true. Despite the fact that all of their money had been reduced to ashes along with the rest of the hotel, she knew that they would be fine. The three sat together in the back seat of the car, tears spilling down each of their cheeks. They sat in the cramped compartment until it seemed as though they might soon drown in their own salty tears. After a moment, Gabrielle straitened up.

"Now, now, mes chéris." She said, her voice shaking slightly. "We will be alright."

"Mama?" breathed Felix, wiping his eye. "What's Leah going to do?"

Gabrielle took him by the shoulders and looked straight into his eyes.

"Leah is coming with us." The squirrel said softly. Little Leah froze mid-sob and stared up at Gabrielle. Completely speechless, the panda bear's face broke into a watery smile.

"Thank you." she whispered. The three crouched together with nothing but each other in the entire world.

* * *

Like a child waiting angrily for her booster shots, Rouge sat, fuming, on the paper-covered bench with her arms crossed. They had been waiting for nearly fifteen minutes, and the bat was getting tired of reading and rereading the many anatomical posters which papered the walls. The male reproductive system had never seemed more boring to her. On the considerably more comfortable chair across the tiny, cramped room sat Grace, lazily flipping through a magazine.

"If you're going to make me sit on this stupid chair," Rouge said irritably, "can you at least pass me a magazine?"

Grace looked up.

"Of course!" She said, almost sounding offended. "There's no need to get so upset."

She reached over to the table on her right and tossed a magazine over to Rouge, who thanked her with a rather pitiful attempt at pleasantness. She let out a frustrated sigh. 'Teenz' magazine.

"I'm not a baby, Grace." She said flatly, tossing the booklet back across the room.

"That's why I gave you 'Teenz'." replied Grace, not looking up from the periodical in her lap. Rouge opened her mouth to retort angrily, but a stout, balding raccoon entered the room.

"Good evening, ladies." He said in a deep voice which was partially masked by a strong Indian accent.

"Hello, doctor." Grace said pleasantly, neatly placing the magazine on the top of the pile.

"So," the doctor said, placing a beige file open on the table and grabbing a pair of rubber gloves, "Rita tells me that you've been having stomach problems?"

Rouge nodded.

"Yeah, I've-"

"She's been experiencing stomach pain and nausea over the past few weeks." Grace cut in, apparently under the impression that Rouge was incapable of describing her own symptoms.

"Alright," Doctor Hinduli said, scribbling a quick note in the file. "I'm guessing from your accents that you're not from here?"

"No, we're-" Grace began, but the doctor gave her a gentle, yet slightly intimidating look which made it quite clear who he wished to answer his questions.

"We're not from here." Rouge repeated, feeling quite grateful towards him. It was nice that, for one of the first times since she had been in India, it seemed as though someone was actually seeing her as a competent adult.

"Okay." The raccoon said thoughtfully, scribbling down a second note. "Well there are a few things it could be. The most obvious is a simple stomach flu, but there are a few, more serious things it could be."

He knelt down and grabbed a glass beaker from beneath the sink.

"Fill this up for me." He said casually, handing it to a fairly horrified Rouge.

"You mean-" she asked in dislike, but was cut off by Grace.

"You know what he means." She said sharply, crossing her arms. "Go pee in the jar."

Rouge raised an eyebrow to mask her embarrassment.

"Thanks for being so sympathetic." She said with flat sarcasm, hopping off of the bench and marching off to the washroom. Her shoes clacked loudly on the tiled floor as she walked, trying to maintain as much of her dignity as she could manage.

A few minutes later, Rouge returned to the room with a full beaker, which the doctor took and carefully placed on a shining silver table beside the paper-covered stool.

"Perfect." He said pleasantly, brushing his hands and smiling at the two women, "Come back in three hours and we should know what the problem is."

"Thank you." Rouge said, feeling rather confident. She had quite forgotten what it was like to be a grown-up. She strolled out of the room with, for one, Grace following behind her.

"So, what do you think it is?" Rouge asked later, over a cup of steaming coffee. Grace shrugged, sipping her own hot coffee.

"Like he said," she recalled, "It could be just about anything."

Rouge inspected her fingers dully, feeling quite confident that it was only a minor stomach bug.

"I can't see why you had to make such a big deal over it." She said in annoyance. The fact that she could have been home within a few days was extremely irritating, now that they had to postpone their little trip to the museum.

"Well," Grace said, the familiar superiority in her voice making it quite clear that she had far from shared in noticing Rouge's reentry into adulthood. In fact, it seemed as though she was trying with all of her willpower to reinstate her dominance with as much subtlety as she could. "If it's an intestinal worm or something like that, and it's pretty likely that it is since you've never been really careful with what you eat, then it's inside of you now and its taking all of the nutrition out of that coffee-"

Rouge scowled. She hated how out of character the fox always made her.

"I'm trying to keep my breakfast down at the moment, thanks."

"Come on." Grace commanded, glancing at a clock on the wall of the café. "We've got to start walking back to the hospital."

Rouge frowned, and seriously considered retorting irritably that it would have made more sense to stay at the hospital than to leave, have a ten minute break, and walk back, but she bit it back and resolved to pick her battles more carefully.

As they walked in silence, Rouge was beginning to get nervous. What if it _was_ some horrible parasite? She was extremely grateful that her years of spy work had left her with an impeccable poker face. It was very seldom that she let panic show. Anger was a different matter. It was a lesser sign of a weakness than fear or anxiety. She honestly believed that being around Knuckles had drastically shortened her fuse. Perhaps when she got home, she thought with a little smile, she would buy them both fuse extensions with the money she was soon to make.

The pair arrived at the hospital, and navigated their way back to the welcome desk, which was frustratingly difficult to locate even after visiting it before.

The finally located it, and took their places in the back of the queue. For the entire time that they stood in line, they were completely wordless.

"Can I help you?" asked the same porcupine who had been sitting there hours ago. Rouge thought that must be an absolutely brutal job.

"Doctor Hunduli told us to come back now." Grace said with a charming smile. She seemed to be perfectly pleasant around everyone but Rouge.

"Go right in." The secretary said, sounding bored. They made their way back to the same room as before, where they waited in silence; Grace returning to her magazines, and Rouge to the boring posters covering the walls.

After the bat had read through the anatomical structure of an eyeball five times, the door opened and Doctor Hinduli entered at last, looking cheerful.

"Great news." He said happily, before either of the women could ask. They gave him inquisitive looks, but Rouge felt her torso loosen in relief. "You're pregnant."

* * *

**A/N:** Ewww maan my writing is disgusting D:! It's so... so... blegh! Is that a really typical thing, what I did with Rouge :\? Am I an unoriginal blob? Most likely. Sniffers. Oh well :)! School starts tomorrow T.T! Maaan am I going to miss sleeping. And sitting around all day with nothing to do but stare at my computer, draw, and drink Dr. Pepper. Yes, those three things are my life in a nutshell. Ooh and skiing B-)! Thanks for reading, please review :).

--LA

P.S: Oh good gosh! I just realized that I've excluded Sonic AGAIN D:! How did that happen 0.o? Sorry Sonic :)! Next chapter fo sho.!


	18. Chapter Eighteen

**A/N:**Yess I know, you guys D! I am dead unoriginal for doing that. But I promise, it's not going to turn out how you would think. At least I hope not 0.o. Ewww I'm awful T.T! In the end, if you see what I do coming, please stuff some rabid… rabid… unicorns down my throat :(! And Sonicliveson, all of our scheming is screwing up my mind :P! Good god, my brain can't take those time travel plots XD.

--LA

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I don't own Sonic (who, as promised, is in this chapter), or any of his GORGEOUS buds.

* * *

Amy bounced up and down on her heels, rubbing her hands together. The evening air was chilly, and she had only her red dress and boots for shelter. She knocked on the tall, metallic door again. Perhaps it was too late to call upon Tails. He had, after all, asked her over hours earlier. And even that was through Knuckles; and god knew how delayed he would have made the delivery.

She felt guilty, but she and Cream had gotten tied up in watching sappy, schmaltzy reality shows on their way out the door. She banged on the door once more, her teeth chattering.

Just as she turned to leave, she heard locks click from the door side of the door. Feeling extremely relieved, she smiled and waved into the peek hole.

Tails opened the door looking tired. The moment he saw her, however his face split into a grin.

"Amy!" He yipped happily, ushering her inside with a gusto that the chilled hedgehog would never have thought possible based on his initial groggy appearance. He tugged her by her wrist through the nearly empty work shop.

He brought her all the way across the large room until they reached one of the furthest silver tables, upon which rested what appeared to be a half-finished machine. Before she could ask what it was, Tails burst into a speech.

"See," he said, sounding proud, and almost fatherly. As he went along, he pointed out different, complicated-looking parts of the little invention, "this is just the prototype of the engine, but when it's done, it should be huge. Six feet at least. These red cylinders are the power source. I considered using regular batteries, but it's going to need such a huge amount of energy to do anything that I had to design new ones. They're connected to the rest of it with those black wires… which are coated with a high-strength mixture of latex rubber and fiberglass. And here, this blue thing-"

Amy cleared her throat in amusement. "It sounds amazing, Tails, really. But what does it do, exactly?"

Tails laughed meekly, scratching his head. "Sorry." He chuckled, still looking rather excited. "Like I said, this is just the prototype of the engine, but when it's complete, it should work as…" he hesitated, looking almost embarrassed for some reason, "well, as a sort of time machine."

Amy cocked her head in fascination. "A time machine?" she repeated, leaning in to get a closer look.

"Yeah." Tails said modestly, clasping his hands behind his back.

"But Tails," Amy said, pulling away to face him again, "why did you want me?" She hesitated, then added hastily, "Don't get me wrong, it's incredible… I'm glad you showed it to me, but what did you need me for?"

Tails smiled. "Well, it's a bit late for that now." He said, leaving Amy looking apologetic, "I wanted you to help me test something with Hina."

"I'm really sorry, Tails." She said, putting a regretful hand on his forearm. "Cream and I were busy, and we lost track of time."

"It's no problem." Tails laughed. "There was one more thing I wanted to give to you, though."

"Really?" Amy replied in surprise. What could Tails possibly have to give to her?

"Well actually," he said, his voice sounding tender and paternal one again, "It's from Hina."

"Aww!" Amy cooed, beaming. "what is it?"

Tails smiled and gestured for her to follow his lead into the kitchen. When they arrived, he grabbed a piece of paper from off of the table and handed it to Amy. She accepted it, her grin growing steadily.

The abstract scribbles on the sheet of soft pink paper would have been totally meaningless were it not for their colour. There were three coloured masses. After Amy stared at them for a moment, she understood their peculiar anatomy. They were circles with five long lines extending at points like upside-down stars. She could tell by the features on the large circles that they were the heads. The five lines were arms, legs, and tails. The first figure was small and green-blue in colour; Hina. To her right, holding her hand was a tall, pink circle; Amy herself, she thought. And beside Amy, there was a third blob. Amy knew who it was the instant she noticed that familiar shade of true blue.

"It's Sonic and I!" She said, tilting her head up and beaming at Tails.

"She made it this morning." He explained, smiling fondly at the little piece of art. "You should have seen her, Amy." He said. "She was so proud of it."

"Aww!" Amy said again, clasping her hands together. "Give her a big hug for me in the morning!"

"I will." Tails said with a wink. They both stood in quiet for a few moments, gazing tenderly down at the drawing. At the same moment that she was about to break the silence by saying that she should be leaving, the telephone rang.

"Just a minute, Amy." Tails said, jogging out of the kitchen. Amy sighed, and took a seat at the table. A few moments later, Tails returned to the room with a cordless receiver in his hand and a perplexed look on his face. "It's for you."

Amy frowned in confusion, but took the receiver.

"Hello?" She said uncertainly.

"Amy?" It was, to Amy's pleasure, Sonic speaking on the other line.

"Yeah." She said happily.

"Come over to my place tomorrow morning at five-thirty."

Amy furrowed her brow. "Why? You're never up that early."

"Well, I've got a surprise for you that doesn't sleep in."

"But Sonic-" Amy began excitedly.

"See you tomorrow." He said. Amy heard the click of the telephone being hung up. She followed suite and stared at the receiver uncertainly until Tails gave her a non-ignorable quizzical look.

"It was Sonic." she explained, feeling just as confused as Tails, "he said he has some sort of surprise for me."

"Surprise?" repeated the fox, brow furrowed.

"Yeah."

"I wonder what it could be."

Amy smiled in sly curiosity. "Me too."

* * *

Rouge blinked. She suddenly realized that there was a broad grin on her face. Her joy was incredible. It was unbelievable.

"Oh!" said Grace from behind her, sounding immensely relieved, "Well that's nothing! Just get an abortion, and we'll be fine."

Rouge turned from Dr. Hinduli to the plum fox. The bat only laughed. For some reason, it seemed like the only thing which would be done. And yet, it was a sort of insane laughter; most likely because she was feeling furious somewhere deep inside.

"You're joking!" She cackled in disbelief, "You throw a temper tantrum over some stupid gecko, and my baby's worth shit?" Grace frowned and crossed her arms, looking extremely indignant. She opened her mouth, but Rouge refused to let her continue. "No." she said flatly. "I've had enough of you. You and your childish, cocky attitude. You think you're the only one with an ounce of brains. Well, the rest of us, believe it or not, do have common sense, and we-"

"Well you and your stupid boyfriend should have had enough sense to-"

The doctor cleared his throat with awkward uncertainty. Grace shot a venomous glare in his direction. She opened her mouth to snap at him, but Rouge interrupted.

"It's none of your business whether or not I-"

"Come on." barked Grace, snatching Rouge's wrist and dragging her out of the room. The bat glanced back at the bemused doctor and gave him an apologetic, but grateful smile. The fox continued to tug her wordlessly until they were both marching up Rouge, however, chose to remain cheerful. A baby. Soon, she would have a baby. It was inside of her. Alive.

They reached the hotel and stormed inside. Grace finally stopped in front of the elevator and jabbed the up button. However, when the doors didn't open after a few seconds, she marched furiously up the stairs and back to the room.

Grace threw Rouge onto the couch and walked into her room, slamming the door behind her. Rouge scowled and mimicked the fox's nagging voice by snapping her hand open and closed.

However, she was still happy.

"A baby." She breathed, placing a hand gently on her stomach.

* * *

The next morning, the obnoxious alarm went of, singing its irritating melody of high pitched beeps. Sonic groaned and rolled onto his side, hating himself for setting it to go off at such a painfully early hour; five. He reached across the bed and hammered the clock with his fist, exerting such accidental force that is was smashed to pieces. He grumbled, but knew that Amy would be arriving soon. Why hadn't he told her to come over some time _after_ noon, Sonic's usual wake-up time? Surely the sunset would be just as beautiful.

His bed had seldom felt more comfortable, but, with Amy and her excitement as his motivation, he managed to tear himself away from the plush beneath him.

He rolled out of bed, his eyes still glued shut, and slouched off to the bathroom. As he wet a face cloth, the doorbell rang. He jumped and widened his eyes, feeling instantly awake. He cursed under his breath; she was half-an-hour early. He forced his eyes wide in hopes that it might stretch them to their normal shape, and jogged to the door, slapping his cheeks to try and awake his senses.

He stood before the door for a moment and took a deep breath, wiping sleep from his eyes.

Sonic opened the door to greet a beaming Amy, who looked as awake as he felt tired. In fact, she looked even prettier than usual; all breathless and windblown from the early morning chill.

"Morning!" She said breathlessly, grinning at him.

"Hey, Ames." He replied with a grin, stepping out of the doorway so that she could come in. The pink hedgehog glanced around the room, craning her neck hopefully.

"It's not here." Sonic laughed. Amy's face tinged cranberry.

"I-"

"Don't worry about it." Sonic said with a wink. "But if you're that excited, we can leave now."

Amy gave him a suspicious, curious glance.

"Leave?" she repeated, "Where are we going at this time in the morning."

Sonic winked at her. He leaned in close to her face.

"You'll see." He whispered into her ear. He grabbed her thin form and hoisted her onto his shoulders. She squealed and wrapped her arms around his head.

On the bottom of the tower, Sonic ducked through the doorway and started to run. Amy shrieked and clutched tighter, her legs tightening around his neck.

The sky above them was a lukewarm indigo, and shadows of the last persistent stars still glowing feebly. On the ground, Sonic was sprinting; gaining speed, Amy still perched on his back. She was silent except for an odd yip when her unorthodox ride turned a particularly sharp corner.

After nearly an hour, Sonic stopped in his tracks, and placed Amy gently onto her feet.

"We're here." He told her. She grinned at him, but he grabbed her arm and jogged a few steps up a gentle hill. Amy glanced around at their new surroundings; she had paid attention to nothing but her skin on Sonic's while they had been running. They were standing on a grassy hill. In fact, there seemed to be nothing but rolling, grassy hills for kilometers around them. Far in the distance, a faint outline of huge mountains could be seen.

Sonic took a seat atop one of the little emerald mounds. Amy plopped down beside him.

"What is it?" She asked, peeking around. Sonic put a finger on her lips and gently turned her head to face the distant mountain range. They waited in silence for several minutes, each enjoying the other's warmth in contrast to the cool air.

Amy gasped. Suddenly, a silvery gold sliver poked above the mountain peaks. The sky around it turned a brilliant pink. Amy couldn't hold in her feelings with such beauty before her.

"I love you." She breathed, turning back to face Sonic. He was fast asleep.

* * *

**A/N:**Sorry for the… anticlimactic ending. There was a bunch of stuff I wanted to tell you guys… now, of course, I forget. Thanks for reading :D! Please review… thanks. Ohh I remember one of them :D! Am I the only one who… something… what was it?... am I thee only oneeee… whooo…. Blehg. Watch me remember the moment I upload. Anyways, please review :)!

--LA


	19. Chapter Nineteen

**A/N:**Well, gawsh! That's seventy-two reviews! Thanks so much! IN YOUR FACE, CHILD'S PLAY! YEEAH!... pardon me. Oh, and I did remember what I wanted to say the moment I uploaded chapter eighteen. Blegh :P! I wanted to ask… Do you guys pronounce "Sonamy" like Son (SONic) Amy (AMY)? Because I pronounce it Sonamy… like tsunami :P. Am I going to be proven a loner once again?

--LA

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I have this weird habit where-on most chapters-I try to make my initial A/N and disclaimer exactly 100 words. I think I've done it on like four. So, I own –

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Plum eyes. Such pretty plum eyes she would have. Just like her father. And she would, most certainly, be a she. Rouge could feel it. The bat sighed dreamily. She wondered momentarily whether Grace was still sulking somewhere in the hotel room. It was quite possible that the fox had left; Rouge had been half-asleep for the past few hours, day dreaming. She heard a door open from behind her. Apparently, the recently unstable fox was only just emerging from her hermit session.

"Come on." She said, sounding quieter than usual, and possibly a bit timid, perhaps even apologetic, marching beside the plush couch. "We need to go to the museum."

Rouge turned her head in surprise. She had expected some sort of over-dramatic insistence that they return to the hospital for an immediate abortion. Perhaps it was simply hormones – and oh, how she resented hormones – but she felt a smile crack across her face, and tears come to her eyes.

"Lead the way."

Grace smiled back, looking relieved. "Listen," she said, sounding reassured, "I'm sorry about how I've been this whole time." Her voice faltered for a moment and she took a seat beside Rouge, who was amazed to see tears in the fox's violet eyes. "It's just…" her voice dropped to a pained whisper, "I can't go back to jail."

Rouge was astonished, and even let her face show it. "I.." She stuttered, completely at a loss for words. Weeks of emotional deadlock, and bam! In five minutes, Grace was pouring her heart out. She was now sobbing loudly.

"Come on," Rouge said loudly, trying to return some of Grace's morale. "We've got to go back to the museum to give that fat guard his rhino tranquilizers."

Grace chuckled and wiped her eye, steadying herself enough to get to her feet again.

"You're right. Let's go, kid." She said, leaving as promptly as if the entire affair had not even happened. Rouge smiled sadly. Well, she certainly had good old Grace back. Whether or not this was a positive thing, however, Rouge was much less sure.

The two women traced the familiar path to the museum, which was to close in half-an-hour. They made their way inside, peering around for the security guard in, as far as they had gathered, all of his usual spots. Unfortunately, however thoroughly they searched, the plump blood hound guard was no where to be seen. Once it felt as though they had passed through the entire ancient building, they finally passed the gift shop, where they noticed the security guard speaking sternly to a short, defiant-looking chipmunk.

"There he is!" Rouge said, grabbing Grace's arm to stop her. Grace froze, and stopped Rouge from marching in.

"Just watch." The fox breathed, restraining the bat.

"Why?" Rouge asked in annoyance. "I can see his coffee cup right there."

Grace only shook her head, refusing to release her partner.

In the gift shop, the defiant youth was glaring up at the dog, who was presently lecturing him angrily.

"Did ye' really think ye' could get away with doin' somethin' that stupid?" he demanded, a tight hold on the young criminal's forearm.

"What are you talking about it?" the young boy asked, though the tone of his voice was one of complete mocking.

"I saw ye' runnin' away." The guard growled, tightening his grip.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Ye' know 'zactly what I'm talkin' 'bout." The dog replied angrily, his face reddening for some reason. The rodent pursed his lips, looking like he desperately trying to restrain from bursting out with laughter.

"I have no idea. Really."

The guard glared.

"Listen, mister." He said, tightening his grip ever more, "That's a mighty immature thing t' do."

Rouge was surprised that both of them were so strongly American, as opposed to Indian. The museum must have been a strong tourist attraction. She wondered what hilarious crime he had attempted.

The dog and the chipmunk glared at each other for several minutes before the older spoke again.

"Fine, then. Yer' choice." He released the boy's arm, but it was obvious by his body language that the younger of the pair was far from free to go. "If yeh're that sure yeh're inn'cent, yeh' won't mind me lookin' through yer' bag."

The boy's jaw's clenched, and was that a flash of fear in his eye?

"Be my guest, old man." He sneered. The guard warily took the blue bag, not letting his eyes flit from his suspect for a moment. Very slowly, perhaps for dramatic effect intended for the small crowd which had began to circle around them, the guard picked object after boring object out of the bag. A pencil case, a worn lunch bag… but no incriminating evidence.

"Well, it looks like yeh're clean t'day."

The rodent smiled smugly and turned to leave.

"Wait, wait." The guard said warily, grabbing his shoulder. "I see what cha' got hiding' there in yer' pocket."

Before the chipmunk could slink away, the dog plunged his hand into the younger one's pocket, and withdrew two semispherical, flesh-coloured pieced of plastic. Grace furrowed her brow, but Rouge laughed loudly. There was no way she could fail to recognize those, even though they were jagged at the bases, as if hurriedly cut by a blunt knife.

"How did those get there?" the chipmunk breathed, clearly using all of his restraint to not laugh.

"I'll teach yeh' t' cut the breasts off the cavewomen."

He could hold in his humor no longer. The boy, who couldn't have been older than twelve, collapsed into a fit of laughter, gasping and rolling on the tiled floor.

"Well," Continued the guard, looking irritated at how unperturbed his criminal, who he had caught red handed, was acting. "We'll see how much ye' laugh when the p'lice have their say."

The boy's smile disappeared. However rebellious, however care-free he was, jail was still a terrifying concept for some one that young.

"C'mon." The guard dragged him out of the room roughly by his arm. The horrified look on the poor chipmunk's face made Rouge feel awful for him. She knew all about criminal records, though she had, rather miraculously, managed to avoid her own. Now he, so young, was tainted for life. No college, no proper job, not even a fast-food restaurant would touch him now. His entire life was affected because of some prank. Rouge wondered whether a peer had put him up to it.

"Let's do it now." Grace said, nudging Rouge with her elbow, and entering the gift shop, where the crowd had thinned. The bat hesitated, watching the guard dragging the young boy until they rounded a corner and Grace tore her away. "Come on!"

Grace, however, really had no need for her partner. She leaned down of the pretense of reading the back of a book about Egyptian mummies, and subtly set to tipping in a tiny package of off-white powder into his coffee, which had been set atop one of the displays. Grace brushed her hands off, and straightened up casually, turning back to Rouge, and looking pleased with herself. Rouge pursed her lip. She was currently homing an emotion which was virtually unfamiliar to her, at least at work; apprehension.

* * *

The panic was beginning to set in. They were alone; no money, no home, no possessions but those they had brought with them to that visit to the park. They were literally living off of the convertible. And, now reduced to sleeping across them, Gabrielle was beginning to appreciate more and more the extra-plush seats which she had invested in.

The children, who were napping beside one another in the back seats, were unaware of the severity of their situation. The squirrel was nervous to see how Felix, who had virtually never been deprived of anything he wanted, was going to take their current money crisis. Perhaps she had spoiled him a bit.

She sighed, and took to watching the carefree characters marching along the street. They, of course, were unaware of how desperate the three inhabitants of the car were. She dully watched them go by, trying to see any familiar faces. She sighed. A gray raccoon, a yellow deer…

The squirrel yawned to disguise a sob. A pale blue seal, a red echidna…

She blinked, and jumped out of her seat. She strained desperately to think of his name. Knuckles!

"Knuckles!" She cried, squirming to get out of the seat. "Knuckles!"

He looked around in surprise, heavy brow furrowed. "Who's there?" he asked loudly.

"Over here!" she called, getting out of the car and jogging over to him as quickly as she could in such high heels.

"Who are you?" He asked bluntly, turning all the way around to face her.

"I am Gabrielle." She explained hurriedly, glancing back at the sleeping children "You are a friend of Tails, aren't you?"

"Um, yes?" He said. Gabrielle noticed that he was, despite being rather frank, extremely handsome.

"Could you show us where he lives," she asked, trying to speak as politely as she could manage, "Please?"

"I.." He said, looking uncomfortable and avoiding her eyes, "I guess so. Come on."

"No, wait!" She laughed, gesturing towards the vehicle, "We must take the vehicle; my children must come as well, of course."

Knuckles looked impressed at the car which she drove, and for some reason, a bit relieved.

"You've got kids?" He asked, "Sure, I'll show you Tails'."

Gabrielle beamed, and grabbed his hand. He looked exceedingly uncomfortable and tugged it back, walking briskly ahead.

* * *

**A/N:**I really don't like the end of this one :\... It was a bit rushed, 'cause I gotta go take a bath :D! I'm watching Beauty and the Beast right now :)! Am I the only one who adores that show :D? Well, I do. I've got my obsession with Disney. Speaking of movies, I went to see Juno. Awwh gawsh it was so good :)! Go see it, guys :o! AND it had Michael AND George-Michael :D (I'm talking Arrested Development, naturally)! Isn't Michael Cera adorable XD? Hah. I loved the music :P. I'm downloading it as we speak… err, as I type… and you write reviews :). Night everyone!

--LA


	20. Chapter Twenty

**A/N:**Oh wow! Twenty chapters :D! That's a BIG number! And I know you're thinking "When is Emma going to finish this? I'm getting tired of reading her junk!" Well, bear with me people. I'm writing whenever I get the chance :). I got my brain-enhancing Dr. Pepper, and I am so READY TO WRITE :D! YEEAH!

--LA

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I'm watching Edward Scissorhands :)! Isn't the gorgeous team of Johnny Depp and Tim Burton just THE SEX?! Yes. It is. Loved 'em in Sweeny too. I'm going to do my disclaimer. I don't own anyone but the usual novel of OC's… sniff.

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Apprehension. It was so unusual, so uncharacteristic; after all of her law-breaking plundering, all of her numerous heists, her nerves had never acted up this relentlessly. Rouge fiddled with her fingers, her feet walking with a sort of rebellious determination against her mind, which was fervently trying to stop them and force them to walk backwards.

But they were persistently defiant, and continued their march onward, the museum their destination. Her legs began to itch with uncertainty. Completely tired of them, Rouge leapt off of the ground and flew to her goal instead. Flying was one of the things that she missed most, besides home and Knuckles, of course. Being with Grace, who was, naturally, incapable of flight, walking was their only mode of transportation. The fox had decided, rather randomly one night, that a car was too easily traceable. It was nice, for once, to be totally alone. The Indian air was warm and muggy, even though it was ten minutes to two in the morning, but it was amazing to be airborne again.

She landed on the soggy grass, knowing that she had ten minutes of sweet aloneness. Grace was to arrive at two. They had agreed it best for them to leave at different times to avoid looking suspicious.

Rouge sighed contently, her brief spurt of flight momentarily letting her forgetting her anxiety, and plopped down onto a nearby boulder. She absent-mindedly placed both hands on her abdomen, and her thoughts strayed, as they had several times over that day, to the unfortunate young boy who had been caught in the act. She wondered dully what his parents had been like. Had their influence drove him to be such a rule-breaker?

"Rouge?" hissed a voice. The bat gave a little jump and glanced up to see Grace.

"Hey." The bat replied, getting to her feet and brushing a few specs of dirt from her behind. Having been walked through their plan several dozen times by her partner, Rouge promptly set to work. She took wing and fluttered up to their chosen window – the one which led into the dinosaur exhibit - while Grace scaled the building skillfully.

They both arrived at similar times, and slid through the propped-open window. It was lucky that they were both such slender females, as the opening caused a tight squeeze, even for them.

Almost robotically, as she had been through this procedure during various other break-ins, Rouge glided up to the security camera and disabled it with ease. It was a simple matter of staying out of the frame, and quickly cutting the right wires. During their day visit, they had made quite certain that this was the only camera in the room. It was, it turned out, not under particularly heavy guard. She fluttered back down to a waiting Grace.

The duo, both deeply in their elements, stealthily and wordlessly snuck through the maze which was the dark museum until they arrived at an elaborately decorated archway. It was the entrance to the precious gem room. Now, it was Grace's turn to do her thing. The fox shot ahead, dodging about where she had found the lasers. Rouge waited in silence, watching Grace at work. Most of her anxiety had melted away, but she was still feeling uncertain and mentally queasy.

Her train of thought returned, again, to the poor chipmunk and his parent's. Was that what her own baby would be like? A petty criminal? She felt an unpleasant squirming sensation coming from her naval. There was no way she could do that to her own baby.

Grace tapped her shoulder, awakening her from her pensive trance.

"Go." The fox breathed. Rouge quickly set to her job. As she flashed a tiny light around the room, her gaze froze upon something familiar. It was a glossy painting of a beautiful, round ruby bordered with gold. There was a caption below it.

"The ruby depicted above has been seen throughout history in several different cultures, by different names. Historians are unsure of where it originated, but its last recorded location was with the Plantarian" the next few words were cut off by a large drawing of a male reproductive organ "disappeared" more crude drawings done in permanent marker "appeared suddenly one morning in the hallway leading to a teleporting room." There was more on the plaque, but it was corrupted by large swirls of assorted colours.

She was certain of where she had seen it before. Cosmo.

"Hurry." hissed Grace. Rouge blinked, but couldn't seem to make her body move. She was suddenly hit by a wave of remorse. She felt like she was up to her neck with filth; no matter how much she tried to struggle, there was no way she could back away. She was in too deep.

"I can't." She breathed, backing away. She couldn't give birth to a child into a life of crime and deception. "You can do it on your own." She said, sprinting past Grace. The fox watched her go in disbelief and shock.

As the bat soared out the window, she felt a knot loosen in her chest.

* * *

"Take a right here." Knuckles said gruffly, gesturing out the car window. Gabrielle turned, though she watched him out of the corner of her eye just as she had throughout the entire ride. The children snoozed in the back, not yet awakened by the front seat passengers' light conversation. Of course, she knew all along where the fox's house was. She was moving in next door to it. She just thought it would seem intrusive to barge in on him. And it may have had a bit to do with sitting next to him.

They arrived at the house and pulled up, Knuckles leading Gabrielle to the door. She chose to let the children sleep and keep an eye on them.

Knuckles knocked at the door and waited, looking everywhere but at the squirrel.

The yellow fox with that distinctively strange second tail, Tails, answered the door.

"Knuckles?" He asked, looking perplexed, "Gabrielle?"

"Tails." Knuckles said, crossing his arms, but sounding much more natural than what Gabrielle had heard of him. "She needs help."

With that, he promptly turned to leave. As soon as he turned a corner and escaped from their sight, he broke into a jog. He strongly disliked being with Gabrielle. She made him feel uncomfortable and awkward. The fact was, she was extremely pretty. Her hazel eyes sparkled when she spoke, and her slender frame only added to the image. He shook his head. He honestly didn't feel attracted to her, but he believed that she didn't share his diction of dedication. He actually found himself missing Rouge terribly, and at the same time was furious at her.

He had felt so betrayed when she departed so suddenly, with only a piece of paper for an explanation.

He crossed his arms, breaking out of his run and into an irritated walk.

* * *

The sun perched its self high in the sky, now a brilliant goldenrod. Sonic mumbled something in his sleep beside Amy. She elbowed him gently.

"You know you're pathetic." Amy said softly. Sonic blinked drearily. He suddenly sat bolt upright, looking angry with himself. Their magnificent sunrise had ended hours in the past, and Amy had been sitting, making bored daisy chains for the last few hours.

"I'm so sorry." He said, sounding upset, and giving Amy a huge hug.

"Don't worry about it." She said with a smile, placing a massive chain of flowers around his neck. Sonic grinned.

"Well," He said, placing his hands behind his head and lying back down on the grass, moist with dew. "What rush are we in? There's always sunset."

* * *

**A/N:**Blegh. Sorry it's short… but it was this or you would have to wait until Monday for your update :P. Alright… so I'm thinking about five more chapters. Probably more, knowing how bad I am at my estimates. Is anyone picking up on some... ahem... connections?! I didn't just stick chapter ELEVEN in there for nothing! Hint hint... Anyways, I've got another question for you guys. Do like… people know about you being on FF:P wow that made _a ton _of sense. Do you tell your friends or family or whatever? Because I don't. this is my secret second life. It's my… like… guilty pleasure? Yeah. No one knows… because I'm such a subtle, well-mannered little thing… HA. Thanks oodles for sticking with me :)! Please review?!

--LA


	21. Chapter Twenty One

**A/N:**Heey we passed eighty reviews :)! Big news! Thanks a bagazagillion, everyone. I only have two reviews when I'm writing this… which is about 24/h after I uploaded the last chapter. What the heck, guys D:! Ah well. No problem, no problem. I'm easy. Grr… I always think of so many interesting things to mention in my author's notes when I'm no where near a computer -,-! But now that I'm sitting here writing this, nothing wants to come to mind! This one took a bit to start… I've been up to my eyebrows with homework. You try making a reciprocating piston engine with two syringes in one week! Ahh well. I'll thank yeh to review after you read ;).

--LA

I gave up on my 100 word thing for today. Too lazy. It's 200 today! You know, in a real novel thing, the author doesn't have to put a disclaimer at the beginning of every chapter D:! But then again, they don't get to write huge author's notes at the beginning and end either. And I do enjoy writing my A/N's :P Blehg! ANYWAYS, I don't own anyone except forrr… Hina, Gabby, Grace, Felix & miss Leah.

Vanilla's eyes fluttered open. She sighed and sat up, her mind still feeling uneasy. Over the last few weeks, she had been acting extremely unlike her usual self. Though she was as quiet as always, she had been much more jumpy, and was in a state of constant nervousness. She frowned, getting to her feet, and listened passively to Cream humming to herself from her bedroom for a few moments.

She thought about the gold framed ruby, which had been said to bring good luck, hurled at her by young Malam at her departure that fateful morning. She hated how faintly she could remember the morning. It was only a series of fuzzy, colourless, images long etched into the back of her mind, however much she had hoped to get away from them.

She wondered what had happened to them, him and tiny Pella. Had they simply faded away along with the numerous others she had seen pass away in their squalor? Had the little community been discovered? If so, what had happened to the ceiling's inhabitants? Were they killed, or, perhaps, accepted into the culture of the society below? She also wondered what had happened to the lucky ruby. It was such a pretty thing, and so sacred to the stowaways, that she couldn't bring herself to believe that Malam had simply left it in that empty hallway.

But his face had been contorted with a sort of livid sadness. The cat had, she could recall, never had strong power over the expression of his emotions. Perhaps the stone _had_ been left in that strange hall, tainted to him. If that was, in fact, the case, then there was no doubt that the rightful inhabitants of the station would have found it, and likely kept it.

But she hadn't stayed to find out. No, the idea of leaving the cramped air pocket for free space was too tempting to pass on. She did feel strong contrition. How had the other two young ones managed without their mentor, their stand-in mother?

She sighed, and jumped at a knock on the door.

"Come in," she answered weakly, brushing a few wrinkles out of her dress. Cream poked her head in through the door, looking concerned.

"Good morning, mother." She said softly, flouncing down on the bed beside Vanilla. "Did you have a nice sleep?"

"Yes," Vanilla lied with a smile, "thank you."

"Mother," Cream asked with gentle curiosity, "Do you remember what Cosmo was like?"

Vanilla gave her a mildly curious glance.

"I was just curious." The little bunny said innocently, "Since you only met her the one time..." She trailed off.

"Well," Vanilla said slowly, "I think I can remember her…" She paused. In truth, she could only vaguely recall their unexpected guest. "She had those big, blue eyes… And that pretty red stone broach on her-"

The older rabbit's voice escaped her and she fell into a sort of pensive trance. That gorgeous, gold-framed ruby was oddly… familiar.

Knuckles trudged through sparse forest, letting the crisp spring air clear his head. He glanced up at the glaring sun. It served as a sort of condolence to think that, somewhere Rouge was under the same sun.

He wondered how much longer she was going to be gone. Would it be a matter of days? Weeks? Even months? He sighed and took a seat beneath a shady maple tree. He saw an airplane soar past above his head, and idly watched it glide by, listening to the faint groaning sound which it made.

It ascended into the distance, and he laid back, resting his head on a root.

He let out a tiny yelp as he felt several pricks of pain shoot through him from his backside. Planted under his caboose, there was a very active ant hill. He hopped back to his feet, shaking the painful pests from his legs and torso.

Irritated, he marched back toward Tails' house. Perhaps some interesting events had grown from the pink squirrel's visit, and however uncomfortable she made him feel, he was curious about the reason for her sudden friendliness towards their group.

He hiked back, trying to imagine how Rouge would react when they were together again. Knuckles was quite confident that she would be happy, but he had learned that there were several degrees of happy for women. There was the uncomfortable, teary happy where her eyes sparkled and she took quaky, sob-like breaths. This one, he was happy to say, was very uncommon to see in Rouge. In fact, he had only witnessed it recently on Amy's face. And then there was the breathless, awestruck face that a female plastered on her face, usually upon receiving a gift. This one had been his planned reaction when he had purchased the flowers (which were still planted in a vase on her coffee table).

"What!?" came was a high pitched whine which the echidna could hear from the doorway. He raised an eyebrow, and decided against knocking. It sounded like Tails already had his hands full with his guests. In stead, Knuckles opened the door as quietly as he could, and slunk into the living room, where he saw one of the squirrel's children slamming his tiny fists onto the floor and wailing.

"Felix, Felix…" Gabrielle was saying soothingly, kneeling beside him on the carpet. Tails was seated on the couch, looking shocked and confused. He noticed Knuckles, and gave a queasy smile.

"I WANT A NEW LUCY!" the young boy cried. Knuckles, and apparently Tails as well based on the expression on his face, had no idea who this Lucy was.

"We cannot get a new Lucy." Gabrielle told him sympathetically, looking as if she would have wanted to stroke his head. Unfortunately, flailing arms and legs were making that action impossible. She turned to look at Tails.

"I am sorry." She shouted over her son's cries. "Could we step into another room and talk?"

"Good idea." agreed Tails, gesturing for Knuckles to follow them into the kitchen. Gabrielle, he noticed with small relief, had not yet noticed his re-arrival. Unfortunately, his content was rather early. The moment the squirrel took her seat, she saw him, and shot him a massively charming smile.

"Hello, Knuckles." She said pleasantly. Apparently, she had shed the anxious air from earlier, and was acting just as… glamorous as always.

"Hey." He replied unenthusiastically, taking a seat beside Tails.

"Where did you go after you ran off?" The fox asked with a smile.

"A walk." Knuckles answered, not in the mood to talk about such things.

Tails looked as if he was about to question the echidna further, but evidently sensed his discomfort. "Right." He said, turning to Gabrielle, "So, what was that about."

The squirrel's face tinged pink. "I am sorry about him. He has…" she hesitated, "Well, he has always got what he wanted. I must admit that I have spoiled him slightly. And since his pet got stuck in the fire, he wants a new one. In any other situation he would have his new already, but all of our possessions went along with her. All of our money."

She sighed. "So, you can see our problem."

Knuckles sighed, feeling sympathetic in spite of himself.

"I am sorry that we had to bother you, but the children were so tired… Leah is still asleep in the car."

"It's no problem." Tails assured her, "We're happy to help. Hina's going to be so excited to see Leah and Felix… she's out with her friend Cream right now."

"Thank you so much." She said, putting a hand on his arm.

"Gabrielle?" sounded a timid voice from the doorway. All three people at the table turned towards the tiny panda who had appeared in the room.

"Hello, Leah!" The squirrel said with a smile, "Did you have a nice nap?"

"Uhun." The panda answered, stepping over to the table. Tails noticed that she was behaving much calmer than what he had observed at the park. "Where are we?"

"We are at Hina's house!" Gabrielle answered, "Isn't it exciting?"

Leah smiled shallowly. "Yes."

"Is Felix still upset?" the mother-figure asked, lifting little Leah up onto her lap.

"Yes." She repeated sheepishly, "He was scary."

"Don't worry." Gabrielle told her gently, "He's just having a hard time."

"Yes." She said a third time, tears flooding her dark, chocolate eyes once again, "Me too."

Rouge blinked a highly-pressurized tear from her throbbing, puffy eye. The aching pain between her eyes, stemming from her sinuses was relentless. Her eyes were watering and the planes humming intoxicated her muffled ears. She had never found flying to be so painful, and she had never heard of the pressure affecting the eyes. She had experienced the pains of aircraft flight; throbbing ears and the like, but the overpowering pain between her eyes was new, and far surpassed the stuffy ears.

"This is your captain speaking," came a scratchy voice over the intercom systems, "we'll be arriving at our destination in a little under twenty minutes."

Slowly, as they descended, the pressure's hold on Rouge's senses gradually relented. As they bumped back to the ground with a lurch, there was no more pain. Though her ears were still partly muted, her eyes were clear and the pain had been relieved. She almost fainted with delight upon seeing a familiar biome. No longer were there bizarre palms and amazingly emerald grasses. No more muggy, stifling heat. And perhaps best of all, no more Grace.

She was home.

**A/N:**What… the… heck -.-! I should be like… put down or something T.T! Would somebody PLEASE put me out of my misery?! I mean like… WHAT THE HELL?! It's yecky. Just yecky. And did _anyone… _ANYONE… get my plot yet? Like come onnn guys... What special (coughTREE"WORSHIPPING"cough)… space-station living society do we know of…?

Use those thinking caps, people! And use 'em to write a sexy reviewww too… I only got three last time :(! Let's bring it up to par ;). I sort of neglected writing this one... so it took a bit. Sorry... and thanks for clicking the SUBMIT REVIEW button... hint-hint... :D!

--LA


	22. Chapter Twenty Two

**A/N:**Hmm… Well, _I_finally got all 180-something emblems on SA2B… for my… sniff... obsolete gamecube T.T. Anyways, am I the only one who thinks Rouge's second outfit looks like a KINKY-SEX outfit?! I was surprised she didn't have an apple in her mouth, and they didn't give Knux a whip and handcuffs!... Erm… Anyone under like… 11or something… just ignore this entire thing. And three reviews AGAIN?! T.T!

--LA

* * *

On the twelfth say of Christmas my true love gave to me… HinaFelixLeah, GraceGabby… Malam… and that forgotten mouse, Pella, in a Pear tree! And so, they're mine .!

* * *

"And so you see," Gabriele continued with a tone of insufferable drama, "We now find ourselves stuck here with no money, no home…"

It was painfully obvious that she was desperately prompting an invitation to stay. Tails found himself cornered. He glanced helplessly at Knuckles, but the echidna was avoiding the others' eyes and had his arms crossed sulkily.

"I…" the poor fox said, "We have an extra room. I guess you could stay here until your house is ready,"

The squirrel beamed and pulled him into a hug, "Oh, Tails! That would be wonderful!"

"I'm gonna go." Knuckles said suddenly. He had had his fill of the squirrel's mooching. Tails looked distressed at being abandoned. But before the fox could protest, the red echidna promptly got to his feet and quickly shot out the door.

"Bye." Tails said weakly.

Gabrielle watched him go silently, before piping back up with an unusual tone in her voice, "Where do you think he is going?" she asked, craning her neck to watch him leave. Tails shrugged.

"Probably to Rouge's apartment." He had a sudden idea. It was brutally obvious that the squirrel was attracted to the echidna, "It's a few blocks east of here. I'm sure he'd give you a tour around the area if you asked. I mean, you're new here and all, and-"

She sprung to her feet. "Oh, that is a wonderful idea, Tails! You do not think he would mind, do you?"

"Oh, no." He assured her, albeit feeling slightly guilty, "But you'd better leave right away… he's a pretty fast walker, I'll watch the kids."

"Oh, I will!" She said happily, "But you're sure you don't mind watching Felix and Leah?"

"No at all."

She planted a kiss on his cheek and flounced out. Tails gave a relieved sigh. However cross Knuckles would be with him in the near future, he planned on enjoying a few hours of quiet preparing. He hoped that the children were independent enough to play by themselves while he set up their room.

Gabrielle marched through the house, bade the children a quick goodbye, and hastened down the pavement to catch up with her tour guide.

"Knuckles!" she called, stepping as quickly as her vertical heels would enable her to. "Oh, Knuckles!" She thought that she saw his heel zap around a corner ahead of her. "Knuckles!" She quickened her pace still, now at a jog. She turned the corner and saw the familiar figure walking briskly. She tried her best to catch up, but her shoes were terribly inhibiting.

Before she knew what was happening, she found herself falling onto the sidewalk with a huge shriek. The heel on one of her shoes – her only pair of shoes – had broken. She wailed again.

"Knuckles, help, please help!" she cried, clutching her ankle which was experiencing little to no pain at the moment from her fall, "I think I have sprained my ankle!"

It was quite strange to watch what the echidna did next. First, he glanced over his shoulder and slowed his pace. After a moment, he sped back up. Another moment later, however, he froze. The pattern of slowing and speeding up continued until he turned resignedly and slouched over to the fallen squirrel.

"Are you alright?" he asked hollowly.

"I do not think so…" Gabrielle said, putting a hand dramatically on her forehead, "I am not sure if I will be able to walk!"

Knuckles glanced around, looking exasperated. When no one came to relieve him of his chivalrous duties, he knelt down and lifted her off of the sidewalk.

"Thank you so much!" she said breathlessly, wrapping her arms around his neck. Knuckles looked around. He decided that it would be a heartless thing to do to bring her back to Tails' home; the fox obviously had his hands full. Knuckles sighed.

"C'mon," he said unenthusiastically, "I'll take you to my _girlfriend's_place." He made sure to put a lot of emphases into the second-last word. This was not true, strictly speaking. Rouge loathed the terms "girlfriend" and "boyfriend". She had made it quite clear that those titles made her feel like a love struck ten-year-old. However, Knuckles was in no mood to explain this to Gabrielle, so girlfriend would have to do. Unfortunately, the squirrel seemed um

He lurched into the elevator and to Rouge's room on the second floor, fiddling to open it with the key that he now carried everywhere with him. There were, as it turned out, not many hiding places in an apartment building hallway, besides under a welcome mat.

"It is very nice in here." The squirrel said, looking around the room. Knuckles only grunted in response as he dug into the freezer looking for some ice to stop Gabrielle's ankle from swelling.

"That was very brave of you." She called to him, craning her neck to see into the kitchen. Knuckles rolled his eyes as he withdrew a package of frozen peas. There had been no bravery involved in him carrying her three blocks. In fact, he would have just plopped her down on a park bench and left were it not for her sympathetic situation. Knuckles sulked back into the room, bouncing the icy package of frozen food from hand to hand.

He placed it on her ankle. Suddenly, as he stepped away, he tripped and fell, landing flat on top of her.

He struggled to get up as, from behind them, he heard a door open.

* * *

The battle was an epic one. Each warrior equally skilled and determined to beat the other. Despite their short stature, their glares were wide and intimidating.

"I'm bored!" whined Felix, glancing back and forth between the two girls, locked in silent combat. "I want a turn!"

Unfortunately, both had evidentially perfected the art of not blinking. The staring contest of all staring contests was in full heat.

"Wait, Felix!" giggled Leah, not taking her unblinking eyes off of her opponent. The two girls continued to gape at each other. More time passed, and the lone boy grew more and more irritated.

Hina began to squint, her eyes burning. Just as she was about to give in and shut her eyes, she heard the door slam, causing both her and her adversary to jump and blink.

"I win!" announced Leah, hopping to her feet and beaming.

"No!" argued Hina. She was quite certain that she had won by a split-second. "I won!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

The two girls continued to squabble until a smooth adult voice interrupted them.

"Hey?" Rouge said, peeking into the room and looking amused. "What's all that head-butting about, ladies?"

"She said she won the staring contest, but she didn't!" reported Hina, crossing her arms. The bat chuckled.

"Well, I think we should ask your charming gentleman friend."

Felix silently looked back and forth between the two competitors. "It was a tie."

"There you have it!" Rouge announced, holding both girls wrists in the air, "A couple of champions. Congrats!"

The girls laughed and grinned at each other. Rouge raised an eyebrow, glancing around at them.

"What, no hello?" she asked Hina. Hina blinked as if she had only just realized who had announced her shared victory.

"Rouge!" She tugged her hand away and threw her arms around the bat.

"That's more like it!" laughed Rouge. "Now," she said, gesturing towards Felix and Leah once Hina release her, "do I get an introduction?"

"This is Leah," she said, "and this is Felix. They're my friends. Where have you been, Rouge?"

The bat chuckled. "I went on a little vacation." She took a seat on the couch, throwing her feet up on the coffee table. "So," She said casually, "where's Tails?"

"He's in the guest room." Hina answered, plopping down on the floor beside her two friends.

"Thanks, toots." Rouge said, getting to her feet again and marching off to the guest room. She had a neat little plan in her head involving the order in which she planned of saying her hellos. First came Tails, and everyone who happened to be at his house. Next would come Sonic and Amy. And finally Knuckles. She was saving the best for last… and it may have had something to do with the fact that she was planning on having a very long, and rather physical hello session with him. She was intent, and admittedly rather nervous, to see how the echidna would take her news.

"Tails?" she said, walking into the previously empty guest room which was now carpeted with three sets of sleeping bags and pillows.

"Oh!" The fox said, looking up at her with a weary smile, "Hello, Rouge."

The bat crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow in amusement, "I leave for three weeks, and that's the hello I get?"

"Sorry," Chuckled Tails, scratching his head, "It's just that I'm been really busy. We had some unexpected guests."

"Those toddlers?" she asked, "Tails, when did you start a day-care center?"

Tails chuckled, but his mouth was covered, as he was presently inflating a mattress.

"I'm sure motherhood is great," She continued slyly, though she felt a giddy squirm in naval, "but isn't one kid enough?"

Tails fastened the stopper and laughed again. "It's not a day-care. Felix and Leah belong to our neighbor-to-be, Gabrielle."

"What, did she dump them with you and run off with her boyfriend?"

Tails' face reddened around the edges, "Not quite. She ran after Knuckles when he left."

"Oh, Knuckles was here?" she asked, feeling a tinge of jealous interest towards who this Gabrielle was. "I want to go see him. Do you know where he went?"

"Yeah," Tails nodded, "I think he was going to your house. That's where he's been sleeping."

"Thanks, Tails." Rouge said, turning to leave, "And good luck with your baby-sitting."

"Thanks." He called feebly after her as she left. The bat furrowed her brow and said a quick goodbye to the children before swooping into the spring air, deciding to scrap her hello schedule. Sonic and Amy could wait. As she flew forward, her common sense caught up with her. She trusted Knuckles; whoever this Gabrielle was, she was going on a wild goose chase. And Tails had never even explained Gabrielle's motivation for following after Knuckles. Perhaps he had forgotten something, and she simply was being courteous enough to return it.

The bat fluttered down to the base of her apartment building. She traced the familiar path up to her room and, almost unconsciously, reached beneath the little welcome rug of the key. She huffed in impatient irritation; Knuckles must have been going with his instincts and hiding the key elsewhere. Despite that initial annoyance, she smiled affectionately. She had missed her lovable, stubborn Knuckles more than she had realized.

She twisted the doorknob, happy to find it open. Her happiness shattered, however, to make room for livid fury when her eyes fell upon the couch.

* * *

**A/N:**Gasp! I know, right? The Young and the Restless wants their plot back. I've actually never seen that show :\. It's a soap opera, isn't it :P? Anyways, you guys want to know what _ticks me off?!_ Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games. I mean WHAT THE HECK?! Hmm who's going to win in a running race… a supersonic hedgehog, who we all know is the fastest thing alive, or a fat, Italian plumber who did one too many 'shrooms?! Yeesh. My friend has a wii, and we were playing it at her house. So, of course, since I'm dedicated to my SEGA characters, I was them the whole time. I wish I was good at video games so that I could have won, but I'm shit at them. It's a hard fact. So the only time I won was playing freakin' ping pong with Tails. Go Tails. So yeah. I was having a temper tantrum because no one else wanted to be any of the SEGA guys. So I was like… what the heck, they're the sex!

So ANYWAYS, I'm finished my rant. But come onn! The only one in Mario who could kick ass would be Yoshi! And maybe Luigi. I like the pink Luigi on Super smash bros XD. Okay. I'm going to stop talking now before I do myself some emotional damage.

**Please review :D! **look! Bold words! You should listen to them. Thanks for reading ;).

--LA


	23. Chapter Twenty Three

**A/N:**Twenty-three :)! You're gonna have to forget my twenty-five chapter estimate 0.o. Know what, guys? Never, ever listen to me when I give an estimate :P. There's a life lesson for you. Maan it's cold here :o! We're in the -40's and -50's. Eww! But, of course, my school is one of the only two in the city that stayed open :\. Yuck! I have to walk a km to and from school every day too. That's it, I'm moving to Jamaica!

--LA

* * *

Lookie here! It's another disclaimer! Same as usual… I don't own anyone except forr… (SNORE)!

* * *

The silence of the late afternoon was broken by a large smash that would have awoken a sleeping bear. The source of the noise became instantly apparent. Flying out of a window on the second floor of one of the only apartment buildings in town, was a vase which homed a partly wilted white flower. The delicate bloom shot out of the vase and landed on the grassy ground below. The jug promptly smashed into a tall tree close to the window, where it shattered instantly and made a second loud noise.

Inside of the chaotic apartment stood three adult figures. The one standing by the doorway looked positively irate. And she had a hole in her window to show for it. The other two had struggled to get off of each other before the bat threw another dangerous object.

"Rouge!" Knuckles said in a tone of dilated delight that did nothing to help the situation. "You're back!"

"No shit." She said flatly. She advanced on him dangerously. "Oh, Knuckles," She said in a voice of sudden venomous softness, shaking her head, "Knuckles, Knuckles, Knuckles."

The echidna looked terrified. "I-"

"No." Rouge interrupted, shooting him a threatening glare, "I can't believe you."

The squirrel, who had been silenced by fear, opened her mouth. "It was not his fault." She squeaked. Rouge turned her head slowly. For a moment the two women met each other's eyes. But just when it seemed as though Rouge had calmed down, she delivered a blind kick.

If Gabrielle's ankle had been unharmed by the fall she had glorified, than this kick certainly did it. The squirrel yelped and flung her hands over head, trying to shield her face from the shrapnel of boot heels.

But the bat stopped suddenly. Her eyes were no longer on her victim, but on a crinkled newspaper placed on the coffee table. The headline on the front page made her blood run cold.

"Rouge?" Knuckles said cautiously, as the bat collapsed onto the carpet and snatched up the paper. After a tense moment, she began to slowly crumple the paper into a ball, staring blankly into space.

"Rouge, are you alright?" The echidna repeated, kneeling beside her. She didn't respond, only continued to squish the paper into a sphere.

"Of all the things you could have done." She breathed, her eyes still glazed over. Knuckles felt his temper flare up.

"It wasn't my fault!" He said in irritation, "You're the one who left for a month!"

"Knuckles." Rouge said with quiet sharpness, turning to face him.

"I'm tired of you and your big, mysterious job." He interjected heatedly. He got to his feet again, getting angrier and angrier the more he thought about what a victim he really was. She had absolutely no right to complain. "And another thing!"

The furious echidna continued to vent for a few moments before Rouge got to her feet fluidly. He was interrupted by something smacking him in the side of his head. It was the balled up paper. He unfurled it and read the caption on the front page: _'Female burglar caught at Mumbai Museum with massive jewel heist planned!'_

"I'm going to see Sonic and Amy." She said quietly, walking to the door. "Me and your baby."

She left before her goodbye sunk into Knuckles head, which, as if it wasn't thick enough, was currently frosted with anger.

"My what?" he repeated in irritation, crossing his arms moodily. Gabrielle silently slunk out the door without a word, limping slightly and leaving him alone once again.

"What the hell was she-" he muttered, stopping suddenly as his mind finally decoded her not-so-secret message. His eyes widened.

* * *

Tails brushed little curls of silver from his aching hands. For the first time in a while, he had had a few hours of quiet, which he had taken full advantage of. The children were all in bed, and Gabrielle had still not arrived back. Tails might have been slightly worried about her were it not for the fact that he was extremely into his project.

The time machine was making great progress. A few more weeks and it would be finished. The fox regarded his handiwork proudly as he heard the door to the workshop open.

"Hey, Gabrielle." He said cheerfully. "How was-"

"You never told me about that Rouge!" She said, looking terrified. Tails furrowed his brow. He was sure that he had mentioned her. However, despite his age, he knew enough about women to not disagree when she was in such a state.

"Sorry." He said simply. "What happened?"

Gabrielle raised her eyebrows looking afraid, "She smashed a window over his head and nearly broke my leg!"

Tails peeked at her shin. It was bruised and slightly swollen, but she had obviously felt fine enough to walk all the way back to his house. He suspected that she had dramatized the story slightly. Actually, he had never seen cool, sly, unshakeable Rouge as the jealous type. But who knew.

"Can I get you some coffee or something?" He asked, trying to be as hospitable as possible.

"You are so sweet." The squirrel said, pulling him into a sudden hug which caught him off-guard. "But no thank you. I think I am going to go straight to bed."

"That's fine," Tails said with a smile, secretly happy that he wasn't going to have to play the host, "I bet it's been a really long day."

"You have no idea." She answered. "Sweet dreams."

She flounced out of the room, her limp almost disappearing. Tails sighed and sat down on one of the chairs, rubbing his eyes. He decided that it was about time he turned in as well.

Just as he was about to get up, the door opened again.

"Tails?"

Tails was relieved to hear that it was Sonic, rather than another troop of freeloading tenants.

"Hey, Sonic." The fox said wearily, "what's up?"

"Hey, buddy." Sonic said with a wink, marching over. "How was your day?"

Tails narrowed his eyes in exhaustion, "Don't ask."

Sonic laughed and ruffled his friend's bangs. "You think you had it bad? I spent today watching Rouge and Amy pout."

"Oh?" Tails asked in mild surprise, "What was wrong with Rouge?"

Sonic shrugged. "I dunno. She was too busy bawling to spit anything out."

Tails pursed his lip, feeling rather guilty. He was smart enough to figure out the neat little triangle which was developing. He only hoped that no one got hurt too much.

"You alright?" Sonic asked with a raised eyebrow, waving a hand before Tails' face.

"Yeah, fine." The fox answered with a yawn, "just tired."

Sonic shot him a rather wicked smile. Oh no…

"You too tired to play Ranger Fox?"

"Yes." Tails said weakly, knowing that there was no hope in deterring Sonic.

"Don't be silly!" the hedgehog laughed playfully, snatching his friend up into his arms with ease.

"Sonic!" Tails yelped, squirming to escape from his grasp, "Stop!"

Sonic chuckled and threw Tails into the air like a baby. The fox caught himself midair, hovering with his tails.

"Sonic!" He cried as the hedgehog lunged into the air.

"Aww," whined Sonic teasingly, "C'mon! Ranger Fox! Just like old times!"

"No Ranger Fox!" Tails groaned, tugging away as Sonic grabbed one of his spinning propellers.

"C'mon…" Sonic repeated, pulling his friend out of the air and tickled him.

"Sonic!" Gasped Tails, his arms flailing around at his sides as Sonic pinned him to the ground. Tails saw a figure, blurred by the tears of laughter in his eyes, entering the doorway from the kitchen.

"Could you please be a bit quieter?"

It was Hina. Sonic ceased immediately. His jaw dropped. Tails managed to wriggle out of his grasp and turned to see why he was so amazed.

She had changed.

* * *

**A/N:**Sorry about the ending D: Short too -.-' Blegh! I wanna play Ranger Fox :D!!! Dude!

It's unfortunate, because I had some amazing dialog going on in my head between Rouge and Knux. Naturally, though, I forgot it by the time I had to write it. Yeesh. Holy shit, guys :! Know what I just realized?! What the hell did I do with Cheese :o!? I have so many gaping plot holes that no one seems to notice T.T!

I'm listening to my current favourite song… "The Salmon Dance" by The Chemical Brother. Holy cowness… download it XD! I listen to the stupidest music -.-'!

"Let me introduce to you a brand new dance… I know you gonna love it if you give it one chance… It's not complicated, it's not too hard, you don't even have to be a hip-hop star! See anyone can do it all you need is style, listen up (something) I'm 'unna show you how…" XD!

--LA

P.S: Reviewsss :)?!


	24. Chapter Twenty Four

**A/N:**Hoorah. Really not too much to say, except that I want to get this story good and over with D:! I just can't wait 'til I can move onto something less icky. Know what's just GORGEOUS? The names of the story things or whatever in Shadow the Hedgehog! I'm like… Woah, deep! Anyone get whatI mean :P? Meh. Read yer hearts out C:! C: is my new favourite smile XD It's so… C:!

--LA

* * *

Dit één is Nederlandse... hoffelijkheid van Ik bezit slechts Gabbie, Felix, Leah... ja, die het:). There :)! How was my accent ;)? Grammarlicious.

* * *

"What?" Hina asked in surprise, looking slightly afraid of the boy's awed stares. "What's the matter?" 

Tails shoved the hedgehog off of his chest. "C'mere." He breathed. The tiny girl had grown slightly… less tiny.

"What?!" She repeated, shooting over as told. She stared back and forth between the two with wide eyes. "What's wrong?"

Her hair had elongated, and now flipped out into a neat wave at the end. Her twin roses had grown ever lusher and her bangs now flicked out over her face in two, sea-green pieces.

But it was her lower body that shocked Tails the most. Although her outfit had been altered slightly, Tails almost didn't notice it for he was in such shock from the appearance of her body. She looked a bit taller than Cream, but had somehow reached the physical maturity of Amy. Quite honestly, Tails was concerned. Amy was thirteen, going on fourteen in a few months. Hina had less than a year under her belt. Something wasn't right…

"Hina…" he breathed, "How do you feel?"

"Feel?" She echoed, looking even more frightened. "Why? What's the matter?"

Tails grabbed her wrist gently and tugged her silently to the washroom, careful to be soundless and not wake their guests. Sonic followed, looking more intent than anything. Hina yelped when she saw her own reflection in the mirror. Tails stepped away to let her discover her new appearance.

"It's…" she breathed, leaning in to get a closer look at her face, fingering her new bangs, "me…"

Tails watched her for a moment before nudging Sonic. They two boys left the Hina to investigate her new self. When they arrived in the living room, Sonic let out a whistle.

"Holy crap, Tails!" He said, sounding amazed, "Hina's… hot!"

Tails smacked him in the arm. The fox opened his mouth to snap at Sonic for being stupid when there was likely something wrong with her growth, but he was interrupted.

"What the hell, Sonic?" demanded a third male voice from the doorway. "Are you some kind of pedophile or something?"

A very moody-looking red echidna stalked into the room, his arms crossed.

"Go see her for yourself!" Sonic said defensively. He turned to tails with an apologetic grin. "And you know I was just kidding around."

To Sonic's discontent, however, Tails looked afraid.

"ButI think there might be something really wrong with her, guys. I mean that can't be normal."

Sonic knew the fox well enough to tell that he was seriously afraid. "Tell you what," he said, trying to keep mild irritation out of his voice, "we'll go over to the hospital in the morning, okay?"

Tails gave an uncertain smile. "Okay."

"And it is supposed to be beautiful tomorrow!" said Gabrielle suddenly, flowing into the room with a charming smile. Knuckles melted away out the door without the smallest goodbye. "So we can bring a picnic lunch."

"Gabrielle," Tails said in annoyance, "A trip to the hospital isn't exactly-"

"Picnic?" chimed two children's voices. Leah and Felix slouched into the room, looking exhausted.

"Yes!" The squirrel said happily, "Hina is going to take a trip to the hospital, and we are going to have a picnic lunch on our way there!"

"That sounds like so much fun!" Said Leah, beaming around. Tails couldn't bring himself to deflate the emotionally scarred child's excitement. The panda blinked, and furrowed her brow, "But why does Hina have to go to the hospital?"

"That is a good question." Gabrielle said, turning intently to face a very harassed-looking Tails.

"I.." the fox began. He wasn't sure if Hina would want to break the news to them herself. Luckily Sonic noticed Tails' apprehension and cut in with another loud whistle.

"Man, it's late." He said with a yawn. "Why don't I make us some hot chocolate, and we can turn in."

Tails was extremely relieved to see the two children sprint into the kitchen, naturally followed by Gabrielle. Admittedly, he knew that Sonic's cooking skills were questionable, but was grateful nonetheless. The fox slouched down into one of the silver chairs, feeling panic bubbling up in his chest. He tried to calm himself, but names of nonexistent diseases that Hina could have relentlessly wormed themselves into his skull.

"Mipro?"

He was so relieved to hear Hina's soft voice. It was still his Hina, just in different packaging.

"Is this bad?" She asked quietly, seating herself on his lap and burying her face in his warm fur.

Tails wasn't sure how to respond. Of course, he didn't want to lie to her. But honestly, he believed that it was _very _bad. "I don't know." was all that he could come up with.

If Hina could have buried herself underneath his skin and stayed there, forever warm and safe, she knew that she would.

"I'm going to go for a walk." She said quietly, sounding on the verge of tears. Tails was about to protest; it was black outside, and Hina was still just his little girl. Instead, he nodded, resting his chin on the top of her head.

"You'll be fine." He told her in a voice so small that she could only just hear. "I promise."

* * *

Her tears fell numerous, but the whole world, it seemed, was masked with impenetrable shadow. Her hushed sobs cut into the silent night air like little needles. Hina felt strange and filthy. Adult. She hated looking her Mipro directly in the eye. He was her shelter, her mother, her father, her friend. But now they felt equal. 

She was walking blindly, turning and pivoting at random points in her path. Terror of the darkness was building up. It felt as though there was some unseen demon around every corner, waiting. She had to cover the gem on her chest with a coat to stop its glow from escaping.

Suddenly the pitch blackness was relieved when she noticed a dull green light high in the sky. Her curiosity was spurred. Glancing around, she lifted herself up on a glittering platform of pale blue cloud. She had always loved them… they were warm and comforting, and so dependable. She could summon them without any effort.

It was impossible to describe how she controlled her floating platform. It was as simple as lifting a finger. She simply needed to urge it with her mind.

She hovered higher into the air until she realized that she had become parallel to some sort of floating island…

Landing gently on her feet, the cloud dematerialized beneath her. She padded softly towards the faint green light. As she came closer, she realized that it was coming from something perched within a pyramid-type building. She timidly walked up the steps, her eyes fixed on the glowing green. When she came closer, she realized that it was a massive gem.

She reached out a hand. The instant her index finger brushed its surface, the emerald glowed icy blue, and then everything was black.

* * *

Step… step… step… 

Rouge quickened her pace when she heard heavy footfalls from behind her. She knew that she could defend herself if it came to that, but she was in no mood.

"_Shit! Shit!"_

She knew that voice. It froze her mid-step. "Knu-aaah!"

He collided straight into her. "Sorry." He said, sounding furious, and pushing past her, "Move. Shit!"

Rouge's jaw dropped and she placed a hand on her hip in indignation. Luckily, her good night-vision allowed her to follow after his sprint. When she caught up, she tackled him to the ground and pulled a pair of hand-cuffs from her handy 'chest pocket'. Admittedly, she hadn't purchased them for _this_ type of roughhousing, but they were effective nonetheless.

She fastened one around his wrist, and one around her own. He wasn't running away. Now that Rouge had cooled off, they needed to talk.

"Shit! Rouge!" he roared, struggling to his feet, with a jerk that forced her off of hers and flat onto her back.

"No." She said flatly, holding him down by his arm. "Please, talk to me."

"Not now!" he exclaimed, shaking his hand, desperately trying to free himself. With an exasperated groan, he lifted Rouge into his arms and continued to race towards his goal. "_Shit!_"

"What do you think your doing?" she demanded, squirming. She had to admit that she was not putting all of her effort into escaping. Despite all of her anger, it was still nice to be held by him for the first time in weeks.

"Something's wrong with the Master Emerald!" he answered, gesturing towards the floating island with a jerk of his head. Rouge furrowed her brow, genuinely distracted. The emerald was blazing pale blue like a beacon.

"Fine." She said, maintaining her cool, "But I'm not letting you go."

Knuckles glared forward. After a few moments they reached the base of Angel Island.

"Fly." The echidna commanded. "Since you're stuck to my frickin' hand, I can't get up otherwise."

"Manners, manners." Rouge replied coldly. But she didn't wait for him to correct himself. Without too much difficulty, she managed to fly them up to the edge. Knuckles saw a teenaged female's silhouette against the blue of the emerald.

"Thief!" roared Knuckles, charging forward.

"You idiot!" Rouge said to him, hitting him in the side of the head with her fist. "That's not a thief! Can't you see she's unconscious?"

"Well, what the hell is she-" he began to ask angrily.

"_Come on!_" cried Rouge, now dragging him forward, "She looks like a poor kid!"

"Funny…" she added quietly to herself… "The Emerald looks the exact same colour as Hina's…"

They rushed forward, but Knuckles halted when they were three steps from the top of the shrine. Rouge turned to snap at him, but found that his face was glazed over, and his eyes staring widely at the emerald.

"Oh, shit." He murmured.

* * *

**A/N:**What a smelly ending :\. Knux seems to like that word this chapter XP! Soo, I'm going to try and write a little Valentine's Day story for this Wednesday ;)… so that comes before the next chapter. Check it out when it's done, guys C:! 

Aanndd… here's a "grown-up" Hina picture :\. Well… it's more of a doodle of her on one of my doodle pages in my sketch book XP. See this time she gets… a scared chick's eye… a… well, some kind of big-cat thing :\... some shit on pyth… pie… pi… Pythagoras!, umm a TVsaurus… and like five "emma"'s for company. Actually, I think the chick is scared because the pipe-smoking, big-cat guy is going to rape her. I can see it in his eyes…

ANYWAYS, here it is XP :

Look downn below, 'cause this one didn't work .!

Tell me if it doesn't show up, please :\...

Yeah, I know Hina's only ever been sad in her spiffy new bod, but sad doesn't make a divalicious picture like that ;)!

Thanks for reading :P… and PlEaSe ReViEw :)?!

--LA

Edit: Gahh! That IS NOT COOPERATINGG! This is like my seventh time trying to do it D! Try this :!

http(:)(slash)(slash)xs(dot)to(slash)xs(dot)php(questionmark)h(equals)xs124(and)d(equals)08066(and)f(equals)scan815(dot)jpg

How can I go wrong with THAT ?! the (and)'s are &, by the way :).


	25. Chapter Twenty Five

**A/N:**Holy cow, that's twenty-five :)! I want to say a super duper congrats and thank to TheRoastedChicken… who, if I'm not mistaken, sent me review numero… erm… 100 :D! That's cent, I believe… right -.-'? Thanks oodles, everyone -! Let's have some cupcakes.

--LA

P.S: Welcome back, sonicliveson :D! FF missed you :D!

* * *

Mmff… mmff… mffffff… justmmffwait… mmmfff… there XD I ate mah cupcakes ;). Like… holy cheese, I ate so much on valentine's day :o! It was gross XD. Anyways, I'm hoping this is going to be one of the last disclaimers… I don't own… Ahh forget it… I'm too lazy. Time for more cupcakes C:!

* * *

"You're joking…" muttered Knuckles, staring at the glowing emerald as if it was a person reporting a very grim story. Rouge pursed her lip, glancing between the entranced echidna and the girl, who had fallen unconscious at the feet of the great gem. She wanted to rush over and help, but, being handcuffed to the currently unaware Knuckles, was rendered useless.

"Oh… shit." The echidna whispered for the umpteenth time, blinking. He turned to Rouge, looking uncharacteristically pale and anxious. "It's Hina." He told her, jerking over towards the unconscious body and, catching Rouge off guard, knocking her to her feet. As a result, he was yanked down beside her. Both scrambled to get back up, but being joined at the wrists made it extremely inconvenient. Both fought until they collapsed beside each other, each growling at the other.

"Knuckles…" Groaned Rouge, "Stop moving, you fat…"

"Just stay still!" He exclaimed, crawling away and dragging her behind him. They wrestled for another few minutes, before they finally found themselves panting beside an unfamiliar Hina's limp form.

Rouge and her quick-reflexes reacted before the slow echidna got his bearings about him. The bat leapt instantly over to the base of the emerald, placing her free hand on Hina's shoulder.

"Hina?" She breathed, rolling the unconscious slump onto her back.

"She's fine." Knuckles said grimly, cutting in front of Rouge and slamming his fist down onto the chain of the handcuffs, freeing them both. Before Rouge could speak, he bent down and bundled Hina into his arms. Without a word, he turned and marched away. Rouge watched for a moment in irritation before springing to her feet to follow.

She caught up after a few moments, but Knuckles continued to hasten forward, ignoring her completely. He led her to Tails' house, but let Rouge knock at the door for him, as the echidna's hands were full of Hina. Tails came to the door, looking exhausted. He glanced slowly between the pair, brow furrowed slightly. He was smart, but lack of sleep had dulled his mind.

"Hina?" he said blankly, rubbing his eyes. Very suddenly, as if he had received an electric shock, he jumped and yelped. "Hina!"

Eyes wide, he leapt out of the doorway and motioned for his unexpected guests to enter. Knuckles gently placed her down on a soft couch. The fox rushed down to her side, looking terrified.

"Why did I let you go…" he breathed, his eyes glassy and frightened.

"Tails," Knuckles said with as much gentle caring in his voice as he could manage, "I need to talk to you…"

Tails waved his hand. "In a minute… we have to help Hina…"

"She's fine." The echidna said a second time. "The power of the Master Emerald overwhelmed her. She'll wake up in a few minutes." He grabbed Tails by his shoulder and pulled him to the kitchen. Rouge shadowed them, looking concerned but curious.

"What's the matter?" The fox asked weakly, his face pale. Knuckles felt a stab of pity; Tails was only a child himself.

"Uhh…" The echidna began dimly, uncertain where to begin.

"Keep your voice down, though." Rouge said, peering into the hallway, "Tails has guests."

Knuckles ignored her. "We found Hina by the Master Emerald." He explained. "I thought she was a thief so I was on my way to check it out. Until Rouge handcuffed us together, that is." He glared at the bat. "I figured there was something wrong when I felt the emerald's energy. It was stronger than usual. And it told me… well…" He paused, looking apprehensive. Tails was watching him with wide eyes, now completely awake.

"What?" The fox breathed. "What did the emerald say about Hina?"

"It…" Knuckles continued hesitantly, "well… It explained a lot."

He waited, looking rather desperate, for either of the other two to speak, but they continued to stare straight at him. He scratched his head.

"I guess I'll start with that rock of hers." He said. Rouge's ears perked up, and she raised her eyebrows slightly with interest. She had her own theory about the seedrian's gems, remembering the exhibit in the museum, and was intent on finding out the truth. "I'm not sure how, but it's the same as Cosmo's."

Tails nodded his head slowly, looked interested but anxious. "Okay…" he said quietly, "I'll accept that if you can explain how it's possible."

"Like I said," The echidna grumbled, sounding slightly annoyed, "I have no idea. But it's the same one."

"No, it's not." Rouge said, speaking for the first time, "Cosmo's was a ruby. I remember it."

"Zip it." Knuckles snapped, shooting her a venomous glare. "The Master Emerald recognized its energy."

"But-" Tails began, brow furrowed.

"Just listen." The echidna said, clearly making an effort to not get angry at the poor fox. "The jewel goes back hundreds of years. Somehow – The Emerald didn't get to that part – it ended up in the possession of some sort of stowaway colony living in the ceiling of the seedrian's ship. Then I guess they dropped it or something, because the seedrians found it, and decided that it was good luck. Obviously, it had real powers, but I don't think they knew that when they gave it to the last baby who would be born,-"

"Cosmo." finished Tails. Even saying the name sparked tears. Knuckles nodded.

"Yep." He continued. "And I think Cosmo had all of the same powers Hina does… but she tried to hide it."

"Why would she do that?" Tails asked with his brow furrowed, feeling slightly betrayed.

Knuckles shrugged. "And one of your guests is her brother. A little boy. I suspected it when I saw them in a flower shop a few months ago-"

"What were you doing in a flower shop?" Rouge interrupted in amusement. Knuckles flushed red and he crossed his arms, pretending he hadn't heard.

"I could have guessed." Tails admitted, though he was surprised anyways. "The eyes were a give-away."

"That's how I guessed." Knuckles agreed. "Anyways, I've got more to tell you." His voice became suddenly anxious. "The seedrians… well… being plants, their bodies are sort of more…" He bit his lip. "This is pretty hard to explain. Their bodies have sort of… instincts of their own. And their instincts are really strong."

The other two watched him uncertainly.

"So," he said, suddenly speaking extremely quickly, "she grew fast like that because all of the cells in her body are trying to cram her development into a small period of time."

Tails furrowed his brow in suspicion. "And _why_would her cells be doing that?"

"Well, that rock is really powerful. I think it has a sense of what's going to happen in the future. And since it's sort of… fused to Hina, her body's instincts are kicking in."

"But why?" Repeated the fox, afraid of the answer he thought was coming.

"Well, plants don't shed their seed until they… well… die…" he continued, now sounding rather awkward, "and reproduction is sort of a more primitive body's… ultimate purpose. You know, complete the circle of life?" He tried to smile, but it ended up looking like a queasy grimace. Tails looked like he was about to be sick. He tried to speak, but his mouth was dry and pasty.

"Keep going." Rouge said quietly.

"So…" the echidna said, trying to keep his blow soft, "I think something might happen to Hina."

The fox was smart. He knew what that meant.

"How long?" Tails breathed as if Knuckles was a doctor informing him of the bad news. Knuckles shook his head as Rouge placed a hand gently on the fox's arm. Tails' face was blank and pale, but his lip was quivering.

"Why did she do it?" he breathed. The other two, unsure of what he was talking about, only continued to try and comfort him wordlessly. "I could have figured something out…" he continued, tears making his eyes glitter, "Why did she go?"

Suddenly, he flung his head into his arms on the table, sobbing. Rouge crouched down beside him and stroked his head motherly. Knuckles looked uncomfortable.

"First Cosmo..." Tails choked, clenching his fists, "now my Hina…"

* * *

**A/N:**XP. Yuck. But I'm hoping this caused a couple of "oh!"'s. Hey, I have another screwed up dream to report 0.o :D! Last night I dreamt that I was standing on a giant church organ with like a zillion keys or something… anyways, I was standing on it with Shadow, and Danny from Cats Don't Dance XD. There's like only one part I really remember, but it's really messed up :P. Okay, so all of a sudden, all these people show up with cameras, Paparazzi :o! And they're all asking Shadow:

"Shadow! Shadow! How were the Dole bananas?!"

Dole friggin' bananas XD! So then Shadow goes all dramatic and throws a yucky brown banana onto one of the piano keys, and says:

"Your bananas can suck my fucking dick!"

I was like XP! My dreams have such awful language! Yeah. It was pretty fleeped up.

Oooh and I'm super proud of us :)! We got eight reviews on the last chapter :D! HIGH FIVE! CAN YEH DO IT AGAIN?

--LA


	26. Chapter Twenty Six

**A/N:**Here comes twenty-six :)! Now I really doubt it's going to happen, but I'm hoping that this is going to be one of the last chapters. Maybe two more after this :)? Ahh watch us end up with like fifty xP. I had some very concerned reviews… I think a lot of people are going to hate me when this is over. Gulp…

But guys, don't worry! I've got a happyish ending coming :D!...

--LA

P.S: Or… do I?!

* * *

Hina, Felix, Leah and Gabby are mine -. I read through Child's Play and AFS again… ÜBER YUCKNESS T.T!

"Come on." Knuckles breathed into Rouge's ear. She nodded her head and gave Tails a final squeeze. The fox was lay still crumpled on the table, eyes open and blank, staring at his own limp fingers, just as he had for the last hour despite Knuckles and Rouge's (mainly the latter) attempts to comfort him.

The bat and echidna left the room in a sort of mournful silence. Rouge led the way out the front door, the refreshingly cool night air greeting them.

"Poor Tails." She said softly, feeling tears of sympathy coming to her eyes.

"Come with me." Knuckles said gruffly. He grabbed her hand, but readjusted his grip and took hold of her elbow, and tugged her back to her apartment building without a word. Up the stairs they went, and down the hallway, soundless all the while.

The apartment was chilled as a result of the shattered window, and still messy from the entire affair. Rouge gave an uncertain sort of half smile, picking up the abused newspaper article off of the ground and slowly unfolding it.

"This was my partner, you know." She said quietly. Knuckles didn't speak. "I left her there because I didn't want my baby to be like me. She was so afraid to go back to jail that she kept me on a leash the entire time. But I left her."

She glanced at him and the corners of her lips cheeks twitched despite herself. Knuckles was frozen in his spot entranced by a fly perched on his right eye ridge. He smacked at it dumbly a few times before giving up and returning his attention to the bat. Perhaps other women would have been offended that he hadn't paid attention to her, but she honestly wasn't bothered.

"Sorry." He muttered. "You know, if you hadn't chucked the flower I got you through the window, you wouldn't have this infestation." He gestured grumpily around the room where no other insects were visible.

"Don't you dare trying to blame anything on me, Mr. Unemployed." She countered crossly. She grabbed his hand and pulled him down onto the couch. She had forgotten how toned his arms were. "Now before someone else dies, we're going to talk."

"Fine." Knuckles said irritably. When they sat in silence for a moment, he rapped his fist on his leg impatiently.

"Well?" He demanded. Rouge's eyes were glazed over, and she stared absently into his chest. "Hello?" he said loudly, crossing his arms. Rouge snapped back, but didn't speak, only realigned her stare into his eyes. They were the colour of grapes. The colour of the sky at dusk… the colour of…

"Look…" Knuckles growled. "If you wanna interrogate me, I'm right here. But if you're just planning on sitting there and ogling me, then I'm just going to go."

Rouge nodded her head slowly, her eyes bobbing up and down in their sockets and never leaving their target. She managed to tear herself from her trance just enough to say: "I'm never going to do it again."

Knuckles couldn't help but frown. "Well, I hope not…" he ranted on for a moment before the bat, her teal eyes ever unblinking, spoke in a quiet, mesmerized voice.

"And neither will you." With that, the entire controversy was over in her mind.

"I didn't do anything in the first place!" He argued moodily. But Rouge was not paying attention to his scathing words. She watched his lips move instead.

Completely impulsively, she pulled him towards herself. He fought at first, but soon gave in…

God bless hormones.

* * *

The light disappeared as curtains were drawn closed. Sonic, just barely awake, pried an eye open. The darkness was soothing on his tired eyes, and the sight of his favourite pink hedgehog even more so.

"Good morning, sleepy-head." She said apologetically. "I was closing the curtains so the light wouldn't wake you up."

"Sorry." He murmured, forcing himself up.

"Why did you stay so late at Tails'?" she asked, plopping down on the bed and crossing her legs intently.

"You should have seen Hina, Amy." He said, shaking his head. "She's gotten so big."

"She's a fast grower." Amy remarked.

"You have no idea."

They sat together quietly for a few minutes, each thinking about Hina.

"I wonder how Tails is going to manage." Sonic said with a chuckle, gently knuckling her arm. "I hear those tweenie-bobs can be quite the little brats."

"Who are you calling a tweenie-bop?" She asked with a defensive grin, "I'm only a year younger than you are."

"And Hina is living proof that a year can be the difference between a toddler and a tweenie-bop."

Amy crossed her arms and jumped to her feet. "Alright, then you can make your own breakfast."

Sonic, with images of sizzling eggs and bacon in his mind, followed.

"Okay, okay. Then you can be a young lady."

Amy raised an eyebrow. "I like the sound of that."

* * *

"STRANGER DANGER!" Leah shrieked, dashing from the washroom with her toothbrush clutched to her chest. She turned a sharp corner, sprinting into the kitchen.

"Leah?" said Tails uncertainly.

"Are you okay?" She asked, cocking her head. "You sound sick."

Tails was as amused as he could bring himself to feel at her short attention span. "I'm okay." He said, trying to force a pleasant expression into his voice.

Leah looked at him with her eyes narrowed slightly for a moment before blinking and letting out a little gasp.

"Tails!" she said suddenly, "There's a weird lady in the bathroom!"

The fox was feeling too exhausted to explain. The little panda, realizing that he wasn't answering, tried to make herself look so adorably curious that he could not refuse. He was unresponsive.

"I've got to go." He said quietly, standing up and leaving a disappointed-looking Leah. "Ask Gabrielle."

Tails made his way into the living room and sat beside the still sleeping Hina with a shaky breath. As gently as he could, he lifted her into his arms and stepped gingerly outside. He was happy to find her surprisingly light, as always. They looked like quite the odd pair, as Hina was now too large to be held in the crook of an elbow.

Hina's eyes fluttered open, and she looked around for a moment before understanding where she was. At first, she tried to sit up, but gave in and nuzzled into her makeshift father's fur.

"Mipro." She said softly.

It was then that Tails made a decision. He would not tell Hina about her foredoomed future. She would live however long she would live, and not be bound by the knowledge of her end.

He placed her onto her feet and stared straight into those astonishingly blue eyes.

"I don't care how big you are." He said tenderly. "You're still my baby."

She smiled. If all was well with him, than all was well with her.

"And you're still my Mipro."

* * *

**A/N:**That one's really short x.x :P. Personally, I do not like it :P. I've been sick this week… so my brain isn't cooperating as well as it probably should. I've been stuck at home with this yucky head cold :C! But that's okay because it gave me a whole bunch of boring time to write.

ONE MORE CHAPTER, EVERYONE:O!! I'm pumped to get it over with -!

--LA


	27. Chapter Twenty Seven

**A/N:**Holy gingerbread frappuccino, guys :D! This is it!! INTENSE!! YEEAAHH!!... the English language just ran out of exclamation points X.X. Okay, I'm stealing the Polish's exclamation points. !! much better D!!! This is amazinglicious. As I was saying… last chapter! WHO WANT NON-ALCOHOLIC CHAMPAGNE :D?!

--LA

P.S: Happy flippin' birthday, sonicliveson :D! **LURVEEE** Em's loveees youuu! This chapter's dedicated to you, baby C:!

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Last one... see it's now, after my non-alcoholic champagne buzz dies, off that I'm starting to get sad! I'm going to miss you guys :o! I've got such a glorious group of reviewers :D! I ADORE YOU GUYS! Sniffle D:! I owneth absolutely no one except for The Gabster, Felix and Leah.

* * *

The time was five-seventeen P.M. Eight months and twenty-one days had passed. The sun was setting as it had every evening of Hina's life. All in all, that day had been perfectly normal, and a dinner get-together had seemed like the perfect finish. No drama, no heartbreak, no world domination attempts. And everyone was happy as they sat together in the cozy kitchen laughing and joking. Felix and Leah were relaxing on the couch watching movies, and Rouge had excused herself to go to the washroom as she so frequently needed to.

"So then," Sonic went on happily, recounting an amazing story starring himself, featuring very extravagant arm gestures. "I ran circles around him and he crashed right into the statue's a-"

"Hey, it was really dark!" Knuckles countered angrily.

Everyone laughed except for the echidna, towards whom the anecdote had been aimed. Suddenly, a yelp came from the hallway, followed by an angry-sounding shout.

"This kid," Rouge groaned, slouching into the kitchen with her arms wrapped around her spherical belly, "is driving me off the wall."

"It'll be worth it." Amy told her soothingly, pulling out a chair for the bat.

"Thanks, hun." She said wearily, plopping into the seat. They chatted amiably for several more minutes, until Hina opened her mouth and spoke in her gentle voice.

"Have you thought of any names for the baby yet, Rouge, Knuckles?"

She had changed again a few times over the last several months, and now appeared unusually stretched out, as if – as Knuckles had said – her body had tried to squeeze years of life into a short spurt of time.

"Well," the echidna said, his face going crimson. "We were thinking Echo for a boy."

"Aww!" cooed Cream, wagging her legs under the chair in adoration. "How cute!"

"It's not a boy, though." Rouge said with a little laugh. "I can feel it."

"Well, what did you have in mind for a girl?" asked Amy in interest, yawning.

Rouge smiled at Tails. "Well, we like Cosmo."

Tails blinked. He absolutely forbid his eyes to shed tears. '_No…'_he thought firmly… Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Hina watching him with an unusual look on her face.

"That's really nice." He told the couple with an attempt as a genuine smile. Of course, he was completely honored, but he had yet to get over being without his friend.

"Actually," The bat continued, "it was Knuckles' idea."

The echidna's face, if possible, flushed even deeper red. He mumbled something inaudibly, crossing his arms sulkily.

"Isn't he such a sweetheart?" Rouge asked playfully, pinching Knuckles' cheek.

Cream looked slightly confused. She certainly wouldn't have described him as a sweetheart…

"Forget it, Cream." Sonic chuckled, winking at the bunny. She smiled at him.

"Okay, Mr. Sonic."

Leah's scream carried from the living room, making a few of them jump. She, too, had grown, although it was hardly noticeable. She had only stretched a few centimeters, but took any opportunity to show off her height. She dashed into the room, her legs moving at a speed that could rival Sonic's beneath her skinny body.

"HE CUT HIS HAND OFF!" She shrieked, hopping up and down and looking horrified. Everyone leapt to their feet, Gabrielle at the head of the pack, sprinting in terror. Sonic, however, stayed seated at the table, chuckling and shaking his head in amusement.

"Sorry." He called in amusement. Rouge, who waddled at the posterior of the group, turned to face him. "A little magic trick I taught Felix." He explained.

A moment later, the frightened mob returned to the kitchen, a few looking relieved, and Knuckles just looking pissed-off at being torn out of his comfortable seat.

"So…" Amy said conversationally after the group had settled again. "Cosmo is a pretty name."

"Tails…" Sonic said gently, placing a hand on his friend's arm. Though the others were chatting amiably, the hedgehog had noticed instantly that the fox was upset. "C'mere for a sec."

The moment they stepped out of the room, Tails couldn't bear to hold in his tears any longer. He sobbed softly for a moment, Sonic standing beside him with a hand on his shoulder.

"I could've stopped her, Sonic." The fox choked.

"Tails," Sonic replied with brotherly squeeze, "you know she did what she had to do."

"And I'm going to loose Hina." he went on, partly ignoring the hedgehog.

"C'mon, buddy." Sonic said gently. The two returned to the kitchen.

At the moment they both set down, another spasm of gripping pain clutched Rouge's abdomen. She grabbed Knuckles' arm in a deadly grip, pulling his face down close to her, and spoke through gritted teeth.

"We're going."

"Rouge…"

"Now would be good!"

* * *

The time was three-fifty-five A.M. Rouge's chest was heaving, her eyes closed from exhaustion. Though she couldn't know it, as her senses were dulled from the many drugs she had been given, the room was filled with several anxious friends.

"Rouge?"

For a split second she didn't recognize the voice, but it made a smile prick onto her limp face.

"Knuckles?" She whispered, too fatigued to speak loudly.

"It's a girl." He told her softly.

Eyes still shut, an incredible, maternal happiness that she had never before experienced melting onto her, she reached for her baby. Downy soft fur met her fingertips.

And then the time was three fifty-nine.

* * *

The time was twelve-twenty A.M. Hina had been sitting alone for more than three hours. The adults had departed in a hurry, and though they hadn't disclosed a reason to Hina, she had figured had something to do with Rouge, considering they had crowded around her pained form while hurrying out the door. It had irritated her that they didn't believe that she was old enough to accompany them.

A few hours after, Felix and Leah had dropped off to sleep. Hina still had mixed feelings towards the both of them; it was almost awkward to be stuck babysitting her childhood friends.

Not that she had had much of a childhood.

Quarter after twelve.

She was starting to get tired, but couldn't bring herself to move from her content perch on the couch.

Instead, she fell into silent thought. There was one thing which had been nagging at her mind all evening: That look on Tails' face. She had never seen him look so heartbroken as he had when Rouge mentioned Cosmo. Though no one else had seemed to notice, Hina could see that he had still not let go his misery.

He had loved her, and it was painfully obvious.

Hina sighed, slouching back in the couch and tucking her legs underneath her. In all honesty, she was certain that the others hid things from her. She had overheard snippets of information over the months…

"How much time?" and "When will it happen?" were frequently asked questions when the adults thought Hina was asleep. She could put two and two together. Something, though she had no idea what, was going to happen to her. And every time she heard the question asked, the answer (always from Knuckles) was similar.

"I don't know, but she's getting bigger."

No kidding.

"So I think she's running out of time."

Twelve-forty.

Hina sighed. Her mind returned to Tails' crushed expression. She desperately wanted to give his Cosmo back to him somehow.

If something happened to her, and it would, then that would only bring more distress to Tails; the one she admired and adored more than any other. It broke her heart to think such a thing.

At twelve forty-two, an idea began to form, almost on its own accord, in the back of her head.

She stepped nimbly onto her feet and tiptoed to the workshop, her destination being the dusty old time-machine. It sat, never used, tucked in a corner, though Tails had completed it months in the past. It had ended up being much larger than Tails had anticipated; too large, in fact to fit out the door. So instead of locking it away, he had made it very clear that she was not to use it. Some nonsense about the fabric of the universe.

But she was confident that Mipro had built it perfectly… it would, without a doubt, work flawlessly.

She stepped inside the massive machine and through the doorway. It was the first time she had ever been in its interior, though she had spent lots of time staring at its walls when she was younger.

It was much more cramped than she would have imagined upon entering the photo booth-like door, and only housed a small stool upholstered with white leather.

Hina felt unusual. Her head was dizzy, and felt only half-there. She squinted and leaned in to view a complex computer screen before her. A smile broke across her face. Mipro had labeled each button as a time in his life in minuscule text. It was even, she noticed in amusement, colour coded. Blue talked of Sonic, pink of Amy, and most of the others based on their fur colour.

She was tempted to read through every button; they were a summary of Tails' life, which she knew very little about.

Her head was beginning to feel fuzzy, as if there was a plastic bubble around it insulating all of her senses.

She scanned the keys. She had no idea what colour Cosmo would be; Mipro had always changed the subject every time she tried to bring up her mother. But she thought it was safe to guess that she would probably be green.

For the first three rows, no shades of green came up. It wasn't until the late fourth row that a pretty emerald green showed up. She leaned in to examine the text.

'_Cosmo crashed'._

Crashed? Hina was curious. She continued to read through the events containing her mother, which grew more and more frequent as she read on. They were mostly written in simple statements, so Hina had no idea about any details which occurred during the events: _'planned party' _and _'shadow pursued' _were just a couple of the green snippets.

Hina halted when she noticed no more green; the end of a saga. The final emerald words read simply: _'goodbye'._

That was Hina's destination in time. She would go back and stop Cosmo from being hurt. Even if that meant Hina herself could not live. She loved her Mipro and believed that he deserved to be with Cosmo.

She reached out her arm and, with a trembling finger, pressed down_'goodbye'._

It was three fifty-nine.

* * *

Hina emerged very unceremoniously on her back, feeling cool metal beneath her. She hopped to her feet and quickly dashed under a nearby table to gather her bearings; being seen would ruin everything. She took a quaky breath, glancing around to ensure that the coast was clear. Not a soul was in sight, but she could hear voices carrying from down a metallic hallway.

Suddenly, bizarre blue waves echoed across the room in an endless torrent. Hina was afraid, but unaffected. She heard moans and yells of anguish, recognizing their voices. It broke her heart to hear her friends in such pain.

It was time to act. Actually, she had no idea what the time was, or even the date. All she knew was that now was her chance to save Cosmo. She sprinted down the hallway until she reached a large, semicircular room, and pressed her body into the shadows to remain out of sight.

Several figures were crumpled over in pain, but one remained standing. She spoke, her blue eyes looking determined but calm.

"I am unaffected," she said. Hina watched her mother in admiration and awe. "I will go."

She left before Hina had a chance to think out a plan.

The daughter sprung to her feet, feeling confident that the animals were too disabled to do anything. She crept after her mother, still not brave enough to call out Cosmo's name. Instead, she just watched in uncertainty as Cosmo left the station and began to climb a great brown vine towards a huge station.

Hina only watched the events that followed, instincts telling her that it was not yet time to go. She pursed her lips and continued to watch until Cosmo began to drift over to the massive walnut-shaped growth. Hina leapt up and followed her mother's path, sprinting out into chilly space. Zero gravity would have made it simple to float after her, but Hina used her powdery bright cloud to zoom herself over.

"Cosmo!" she called. Cosmo froze, and turned slowly. For a moment, she scanned her visitor with a look of suspicious curiosity on her face. Then, mother and daughter exchanged a look of deep meaning. Cosmo understood, and nodded her head slowly.

"Good luck," she whispered, "my daughter…"

The duo switched directions; Cosmo returning to the ship and Hina floating serenely towards the pulsating growth.

"Who is that?" Amy asked Cosmo when she returned, the hedgehog's strength returned.

Cosmo smiled around at her friends.

"She is an angel." She said softly. "A wonderful, beautiful, brave angel." She turned to Tails, and took one of his hands. "I'm proud of you."

The fox looked at her in confusion. "Cosmo…" he said uncertainly, "what are you talking about?"

She beamed at him. "Don't worry."

"Hey!" Rouge said, clapping her hands loudly, "I hate to break up the love fest, but we're running out of time."

Tails nodded, turning his head towards his target in concentration. He shot. And with that, was saved the burden of heartbreak. Hina did her job, and passed happily. However desperately her body had urged, the seeds stowed away in the blossoms on her head had not fully developed. They were never planted, and never grew.

"Is…" Cream squeaked anxiously, holding Cheese to her breast in terror, "is it over?"

Everyone glanced around in hesitation, but Cosmo smiled confidently.

"Yes, it's over."

* * *

**A/N:**It certainly is :). Soo, since Cosmo didn't die, Hina's seed never grew (or Felix's), so all of this never happened. Yeeah :)! See? It's a happyish ending… we lost Hina, but no one was sad about it because she never existed! Plus, we got Cosmo back :3. So don't shoot me. Oh, and Rougie didn't see her baby o.o'. I'm anticipation some hate mail for that XD...

You just wasted half a year of your life C! Well _I_ enjoyed it anyways :). Especially your reviews, everyone. You guys have no idea how much I adore reviews. Like I throw a temper tantrum when I see silly chain letters in my inbox, because I'm all GASPO :0! ONE EMAIL ?! REVIEW?! But then it's not and I cry XD. I apologize for ending so yuckily, but I do try :\...

Okayy… so if you read this far, you are a wonder. Kudos, and thank you. Please review :).

I love you guys :). Send me a pm and we'll chat some time :D because I miss the time between stories when I'm cut off from everyone else XD. Don't be shy, I love pm's almost as much as I love reviews.

Thank you guys so much :).

--LA


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